Despite the public health relevance of analgesic use, large-scale studies on this topic in Germany are lacking. This study describes the prevalence, trends, associations and patterns of use of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics, focusing on five of the most common agents: Aspirin, diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen and paracetamol | Prevalence, trends, patterns and associations of analgesic use in Germany