Ipratropium Nasal Spray

Ipratropium nasal spray is available in two strengths that are used to treat different conditions. Ipratropium nasal spray 0.06% is used to relieve a runny nose caused by the common cold or seasonal allergies (hay fever) in adults and children age 5 and older. Ipratropium nasal spray 0.03% is used to relieve a runny nose caused by year-round allergic and nonallergic rhinitis (runny nose and stuffiness) in adults and children age 6 and older. Ipratropium nasal spray does not relieve nasal congestion, sneezing, or postnasal drip caused by these conditions. Ipratropium nasal spray is in a class of medications called anticholinergics. It works by reducing the amount of mucus produced in the nose.

🔔 How should this medicine be used?

Ipratropium comes as a spray to use in the nose. If you are using ipratropium nasal spray 0.06% to treat the common cold, it is usually sprayed in the nostrils three to four times a day for up to four days. If you are using ipratropium nasal spray 0.06% to treat seasonal allergies, it is usually sprayed in the nostrils four times a day for up to three weeks. Ipratropium nasal spray 0.03% is usually sprayed in the nostrils two to three times a day. Use ipratropium nasal spray at around the same times 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 ipratropium nasal spray exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of it or use it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Do not spray ipratropium nasal spray in or around your eyes. If this occurs, immediately flush your eyes with cool tap water for several minutes. If you spray the medication in your eyes, you may experience the following symptoms: blurred vision, seeing visual halos or colored images, red eyes, development or worsening of narrow-angle glaucoma (a serious eye condition that may cause loss of vision), widened pupils (black circles in the center of the eyes), sudden eye pain, and increased sensitivity to light. If you spray ipratropium in your eyes or experience any of these symptoms, contact your doctor immediately.

Do not change the size of the opening of the nasal spray as this would affect the amount of medication you receive.

To use the nasal spray, follow these steps:

1. Remove the clear plastic dust cap and the safety clip from the nasal spray pump.
2. If you are using the nasal spray pump for the first time, you must prime the pump. Hold the bottle with your thumb at the base and your index and middle fingers on the white shoulder area. Point the bottle upright and away from your eyes. Press your thumb firmly and quickly against the bottle seven times. Your pump does not have to be reprimed unless you have not used the medication for more than 24 hours; reprime the pump with only two sprays. If you have not used your nasal spray for more than seven days, reprime the pump with seven sprays.
3. Blow your nose gently to clear your nostrils if necessary.
4. Close one nostril by gently placing your finger against the side of your nose, tilt your head slightly forward and, keeping the bottle upright, insert the nasal tip into the other nostril. Point the tip toward the back and outer side of the nose.
5. Press firmly and quickly upwards with the thumb at the base while holding the white shoulder portion of the pump between your index and middle fingers. Following each spray, sniff deeply and breathe out through your mouth.
6. After spraying the nostril and removing the unit, tilt your head backwards for a few seconds to let the spray spread over the back of the nose.
7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 in the same nostril.
8. Repeat steps 4 through 7 in the other nostril.
9. Replace the clear plastic dust cap and safety clip.

If the nasal tip becomes clogged, remove the clear plastic dust cap and safety clip. Hold the nasal tip under running, warm tap water for about a minute. Dry the nasal tip, reprime the nasal spray pump, and replace the plastic dust cap and safety clip.

Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.

Preventable medical errors kill about 22,000 patients a year, according to research from the Yale School of Medicine. That’s much less than a previously reported number of 250,000 deaths a year where medical error is to blame.