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Focusing on Your Emotional Well-being

Tips for staying positive during IPF treatment

There may be ups and downs throughout your journey with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Staying positive can be difficult, but there are ways you can take care of your mental and emotional health. Here are some tips to help you stay positive, relaxed, and motivated:

Joining an IPF support group can be a great way to connect with others who understand your struggles and can celebrate your successes.

Being proactive

Keep an open dialogue going with your doctor. Tell your doctor about your experiences and any side effects you have with treatment, because he or she may have tips to help you manage those side effects.

Expressing yourself

Use a journal to make note of your thoughts and feelings, and questions to ask your doctor at your next visit. Talk to loved ones about how you’re feeling—sharing your feelings with another person can help.

Reflecting on your day

Take a moment each evening to think about what made you happiest that day. Share this moment with a loved one or write it down in your journal.

“I encourage you to do what brings you joy and use the time you have to appreciate what you have...For me, living my life day by day, moment by moment, is the only way to live. I am so grateful for these moments."

Norma
Esbriet Ambassador

Relaxation Techniques

There are lots of ways that relaxation techniques may help you manage the stress of living with an unpredictable disease like IPF. Studies show that following these tips could help trigger your body’s natural relaxation response, resulting in:

Lower blood pressure
A feeling of increased well-being

Relaxation techniques aren’t hard to learn, but they are skills. Like any skill, they take some practice. Invite a family member or friend to join you.

Make an “appointment” to relax

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health recommends the following relaxation exercises:

Take slow, even breaths
Focus on pleasant images or memories to replace negative or stressful feelings
Tighten and relax different muscle groups throughout your body. For example, make a fist for a moment, then relax. Next, flex your arms and relax them. Then move on to other muscle groups

Other practices that can also promote relaxation include:

Meditation
Yoga
Tai chi

Talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise routine. You can find more information about these techniques at www.nccih.nih.gov.

Additional IPF Resources

You are not alone in your treatment

You have a doctor and his or her team working with you. You may also have a family member or friend who helps you out.

You can also get support from other people who have IPF. Through support group meetings, you may find you have a lot in common when you hear how other people are managing their condition.

Support groups can help you:

Gain a sense of control
Feel less alone
Solve day-to-day challenges
Talk openly about your feelings
Get another perspective on your condition
Find out more about your treatment

Education, resources, and support:

Please note that selecting these links will take you away from this site to one that is not owned or controlled by Genentech. Links to third-party sites are provided for convenience only. Genentech is not responsible for the accuracy of the information contained on a third-party site and does not recommend or endorse the content provided on the site.

NEXT: Questions to ask your doctor

About Esbriet

Esbriet^® (pirfenidone) is a prescription medicine used to treat people with a lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

It is not known if Esbriet is safe and effective in children.

Before you take Esbriet, tell your doctor if you:

have other medical conditions (particularly liver or kidney problems).
are a smoker.
are or plan to become pregnant or breastfeed (Esbriet has not been studied in these patients).
are taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements.

What are the possible side effects of Esbriet?

Esbriet may cause serious side effects, including:

liver problems. Call your doctor if you have symptoms such as yellowing of your skin or eyes, dark or brown urine, pain on the upper right side of your stomach area, bleeding or bruising more easily than normal, or increased fatigue. Your doctor will also do regular blood tests to check your liver.
sun sensitivity and rash. When you are outside, use sunscreen (SPF 50) and wear a hat and clothes that cover your skin to avoid getting a sunburn.
severe skin reactions. Call your doctor right away if you have a severe skin reaction such as skin blisters, rash, sores in the mouth, hives or any other severe skin symptoms.
stomach problems. Esbriet may cause stomach problems such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion, heartburn, and stomach pain.

Your doctor may change your dose or discontinue Esbriet if side effects do not go away.

The most common side effects of Esbriet include upper respiratory tract infections, feeling tired, headache, dizziness, loss of appetite, sinusitis, insomnia, or weight loss.

These are not all the possible side effects of Esbriet.

What should you avoid while taking Esbriet?

Direct exposure to sunlight, or light from sunlamps and tanning beds.
Other medicines that can make your skin sensitive to sunlight.
Smoking, which may affect how well Esbriet works.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch or to Genentech at 1-888-835-2555.

Please see full Prescribing Information, including Patient Information, for additional important safety information.

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- Genentech’s educators are called Clinical Education Managers. They do not provide medical advice. If you have questions about your health or treatment, you are encouraged to contact your health care provider.
  
  Genentech’s educators are called Clinical Education Managers. They do not provide medical advice. If you have questions about your health or treatment, you are encouraged to contact your health care provider.
- Zitter Health Insights. Policy & Access Tracking Tool for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Published September 2017.
  
  Zitter Health Insights. Policy & Access Tracking Tool for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Published September 2017.
- Independent co-pay assistance foundations have their own rules for eligibility. We cannot guarantee a foundation will help you. We only can refer you to a foundation that supports your disease state. We do not endorse or show financial preference for any particular foundation. The foundations we refer you to are not the only ones that might be able to help you.
  
  Independent co-pay assistance foundations have their own rules for eligibility. We cannot guarantee a foundation will help you. We only can refer you to a foundation that supports your disease state. We do not endorse or show financial preference for any particular foundation. The foundations we refer you to are not the only ones that might be able to help you.
- The Medicare Extra Help program is not a Genentech program. It is administered by the Social Security Administration. The co-pay amount for Medicare Extra Help changes each year.
  
  The Medicare Extra Help program is not a Genentech program. It is administered by the Social Security Administration. The co-pay amount for Medicare Extra Help changes each year.
- This Esbriet $5 Co-pay Program is valid ONLY for patients with commercial insurance who have a valid prescription for a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indication of a Genentech medication. Patients using Medicare, Medicaid or any other federal or state government program to pay for their medications are not eligible.
  
  Under the program, the patient will pay a co-pay. After reaching the maximum program benefit, the patient will be responsible for all out-of-pocket expenses.
  
  All participants are responsible for reporting the receipt of all program benefits as required by any insurer or by law. No party may seek reimbursement for all or any part of the benefit received through this Program. The program is only valid in the United States and U.S. Territories. This program is void where prohibited by law and shall follow state restrictions in relation to AB-rated generic equivalents (e.g., MA, CA) where applicable. The patient, guardian, prescriber, hospital and any other person using the program agree not to seek reimbursement for all or any part of the benefit received by the patient through the offer of this program. Genentech reserves the right to rescind, revoke or amend the program without notice at any time. Additional terms and conditions apply. Please visit EsbrietCopay.com for the full list of Terms and Conditions.
  
  This Esbriet $5 Co-pay Program is valid ONLY for patients with commercial insurance who have a valid prescription for a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indication of a Genentech medication. Patients using Medicare, Medicaid or any other federal or state government program to pay for their medications are not eligible.
  
  Under the program, the patient will pay a co-pay. After reaching the maximum program benefit, the patient will be responsible for all out-of-pocket expenses.
  
  All participants are responsible for reporting the receipt of all program benefits as required by any insurer or by law. No party may seek reimbursement for all or any part of the benefit received through this Program. The program is only valid in the United States and U.S. Territories. This program is void where prohibited by law and shall follow state restrictions in relation to AB-rated generic equivalents (e.g., MA, CA) where applicable. The patient, guardian, prescriber, hospital and any other person using the program agree not to seek reimbursement for all or any part of the benefit received by the patient through the offer of this program. Genentech reserves the right to rescind, revoke or amend the program without notice at any time. Additional terms and conditions apply. Please visit EsbrietCopay.com for the full list of Terms and Conditions.
- To be eligible for free Genentech medicine from the Genentech Patient Foundation, insured patients who have coverage for their medicine must have exhausted all other forms of patient assistance (including the Esbriet $5 Co-pay Program and support from independent co-pay assistance foundations) and must meet certain financial criteria. Uninsured patients and insured patients without coverage for their medicine must meet different financial criteria.
  
  To be eligible for free Genentech medicine from the Genentech Patient Foundation, insured patients who have coverage for their medicine must have exhausted all other forms of patient assistance (including the Esbriet $5 Co-pay Program and support from independent co-pay assistance foundations) and must meet certain financial criteria. Uninsured patients and insured patients without coverage for their medicine must meet different financial criteria.
- Eligible patients will pay as little as $5 per valid prescription, subject to a maximum benefit of $25,000 for a 12-month period.
  
  Eligible patients will pay as little as $5 per valid prescription, subject to a maximum benefit of $25,000 for a 12-month period.