Not even for a headache
I'm somewhat with nenjin on this one. I've never had to take painkillers for a headache. Which is not to say I haven't had an ache in my skull (or indeed in other places in my head), but I don't think I've ever felt the need to plink-plink-fizz or take anything in pill form for that. (Migraine sufferers can hate me now. "Migraine" sufferers, too, if they want, but they're apparently already being hated upon by the first lot, for appropriating something they don't truly understand.)
When I had an awkward wisdom tooth out (the second attempt, as the dentist couldn't get it out properly and I had to have a hospital appointment to slice it up a bit and remove the bits) I was told "just take your regular painkiller, when you get home" to cover when the injections wore off.
Cue me, walking into a pharmacist at the station with "I have just had a tooth out, what do you recommend?" written on a pad, given I was still too insensitive of cotton-packed mouth to articulate anything in words. I probably could find that pack at the back of a cupboard, hardly touched and years out of date now, as I didn't need more than one or two (precautionarily) before I decided I could live with it.
Prior to that, it would have been my appendectomy. Dutifully finished off my ABs, but not sure I continued any of the discharge-supplied painkillers for more than a day or two.
Other than what had been given me by medical(/dental) staff, including for childhood broken bones, torn ligaments and other interesting wounds, I'm not at all too sure how much painkiller I've self-administered. I'm fairly sure it's an atypically low quantity, given popular culture references to casual use of aspirin/etc.
Though I
did pick up a packet of paracetemol about a month back. I was shopping, saw conspicuously empty shelves for some products in that part of the store but it looked like they had plenty of the kind I picked up and I decided it would be a guilt-free "just in case".
I'm thinking I should have got some hay-fever med, though. I normally avoid it unless it gets
really annoying (not sure I used any over the last two or three years) but it seems a good idea to try to not confuse the spring/summer-season condition with the one this thread is about, this year. If I can help it. I can feel the roof-of-mouth tingle coming on, the usual herald.