Tiotropium Oral Inhalation
Tiotropium is used to prevent wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, and chest tightness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, a group of diseases that affect the lungs and airways) such as chronic bronchitis (swelling of the air passages that lead to the lungs) and emphysema (damage to air sacs in the lungs). Tiotropium is in a class of medications called bronchodilators. It works by relaxing and opening the air passages to the lungs to make breathing easier.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
Tiotropium comes as a capsule to use with a specially designed inhaler. You will use the inhaler to breathe in the dry powder contained in the capsules. Tiotropium is usually inhaled once a day in the morning or evening. To help you remember to inhale tiotropium, inhale it around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use tiotropium exactly as directed. Do not inhale more or less of it or inhale it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Do not swallow tiotropium capsules.
Tiotropium will only work if you use the inhaler it comes with to inhale the powder in the capsules. Never try to inhale them using any other inhaler. Never use your tiotropium inhaler to take any other medication.
Do not use tiotropium to treat a sudden attack of wheezing or shortness of breath. Your doctor will probably prescribe a different medication to use when you have great difficulty breathing.
Tiotropium controls COPD but does not cure it. It may take a few weeks before you feel the full benefits of tiotropium. Continue to take tiotropium even if you feel well. Do not stop taking tiotropium without talking to your doctor.
Part of the reason for these long wait times and short appointments is due to a nationwide shortage of physicians that is only getting worse. A report by the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts that, due to population growth and specifically growth of the elderly population, the physician shortfall in the U.S. could reach 121,300 by the year 2030.
Be careful not to get tiotropium powder in your eyes. If tiotropium powder gets into your eyes, your vision may become blurred and you may be sensitive to light. Call your doctor if this happens.
To use the inhaler, follow these steps:
- Use the diagram in the patient information that came with your medication to help you learn the names of the parts of your inhaler. You should be able to find the dust cap, mouthpiece, base, piercing button, and center chamber.
- Pick up one blister card of tiotropium capsules and tear it along the perforation. You should now have two strips that each contain three capsules.
- Put away one of the strips for later. Use the tab to carefully peel back the foil on the other blister strip until the STOP line. This should fully uncover one capsule. The other two capsules on the strip should still be sealed in their packaging. Plan to use those capsules on the next 2 days.
- Pull upward on the dust cap of your inhaler to open it.
- Open the mouthpiece of the inhaler. Remove the tiotropium capsule from the package and place it in the center chamber of the inhaler.
- Close the mouthpiece firmly until it clicks, but do not close the dust cap.
- Hold the inhaler so that the mouthpiece is on top. Press the green piercing button once, then let it go.
- Breathe out completely without putting any part of the inhaler in or near your mouth.
- Bring the inhaler up to your mouth and close your lips tightly around the mouthpiece.
- Hold your head upright and breathe in slowly and deeply. You should breathe just fast enough to hear the capsule vibrate. Continue to breathe in until your lungs are full.
- Hold your breath for as long as you can comfortably do so. Take the inhaler out of your mouth while you are holding your breath.
- Breathe normally for a short time.
- Repeat steps 8-11 to inhale any medication that may be left in your inhaler.
- Open the mouthpiece and tilt the inhaler to spill out the used capsule. Discard the used capsule out of the reach of children and pets. You may see a small amount of powder remaining in the capsule. This is normal and does not mean that you did not get your full dose.
- Close the mouthpiece and dust cap and store the inhaler in a safe place.
