Table 4.

Examples of narratives of patients with NDPH

Theme: Trying other non-pharmacological options
Common meaning groups	Narratives
15 Trying other therapeutic options	Other non pharmacological options: ‘I have tried everything, acupuncture, diets, chiropractors, 5000 types of naturopaths, eastern therapies, psychology … I’m only missing witch doctors.’ (P1)
16 Second choice therapy	Second choice therapy: ‘They were never my first choice. It was when the drugs failed that I considered them as a viable option. However, an option after drugs, as a last resort.’ (P5)
17 Ineffectiveness of other therapies	Other therapies are ineffective for eliminating pain: ‘I have tried acupuncture and homeopathy and these have not worked, the headache did not go away at all. I wasted my time.’(P11)
18 Unexpected positive effects of other therapies	Unexpected positive effects of other therapies: ‘Personally, the therapy has not helped me with my headaches, but it has provided me with my own personal resources, it improved my self-esteem, it helped me to care for myself better and to know how to set limits. The pain didn’t change, what changed was myself, and everything improved.’(P11)

Theme: trying other non-pharmacological options.

NDPH, new daily persistent headache.