Medical Editor: John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP
What Is Spiriva HandiHaler?
Spiriva HandiHaler (tiotropium bromide) Inhalation Powder is an anticholinergic drug used to prevent bronchospasm (narrowing of the airways in the lungs) in people with bronchitis, emphysema, or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
What Are Side Effects of Spiriva HandiHaler?
Common side effects of Spiriva HandiHaler include:
- dry mouth,
- constipation,
- upset stomach,
- vomiting,
- cold symptoms (stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat),
- nosebleed, or
- muscle pain.
Tell your doctor if you have any serious side effects of Spiriva HandiHaler including:
- difficult or painful urination, or
- fast heartbeat.
Dosage for Spiriva HandiHaler
The recommended dose of Spiriva HandiHaler is two inhalations of the powder contents of one Spiriva capsule, once-daily, with the HandiHaler device.
What Drugs, Substances, or Supplements Interact with Spiriva HandiHaler?
Spiriva may interact with atropine, belladonna, cimetidine, clidinium, dicyclomine, glycopyrrolate, hyoscyamine, mepenzolate, methantheline, methscopolamine, propantheline, or scopolamine. Tell your doctor all medications you use.
Spiriva HandiHaler During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
During pregnancy, Spiriva should be used only when prescribed. It is unknown if this medication passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breastfeeding.
Additional Information
Our Spiriva (tiotropium bromide) Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

QUESTION
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is the same as adult-onset asthma. See AnswerGet emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives, itching; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have:
- wheezing, choking, or other breathing problems after using this medicine;
- blurred vision, eye pain or redness, seeing halos around lights;
- sores or white patches on your mouth, lips, or tongue;
- pain or burning when you urinate; or
- little or no urinating.
Common side effects may include:
- dry mouth;
- blurred vision;
- constipation, painful urination;
- upset stomach;
- chest pain, fast heart rate; or
- cold symptoms such as stuffy or runny nose, sinus pain, sore throat.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

SLIDESHOW
COPD Foods to Boost Your Health - COPD Diet Tips See SlideshowSIDE EFFECTS
The following adverse reactions are described, or described in greater detail, in other sections:
- Immediate hypersensitivity reactions [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
- Paradoxical bronchospasm [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
- Worsening of narrow-angle glaucoma [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
- Worsening of urinary retention [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
Clinical Trials Experience
Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, the incidence of adverse reactions observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to the incidences in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the incidences observed in practice.
6-Month To 1-Year Trials
The data described below reflect exposure to SPIRIVA HANDIHALER in 2663 patients. SPIRIVA HANDIHALER was studied in two 1-year placebo-controlled trials, two 1-year active-controlled trials, and two 6-month placebo-controlled trials in patients with COPD. In these trials, 1308 patients were treated with SPIRIVA HANDIHALER at the recommended dose of 18 mcg once a day. The population had an age ranging from 39 to 87 years with 65% to 85% males, 95% Caucasian, and had COPD with a mean pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) percent predicted of 39% to 43%. Patients with narrow-angle glaucoma, or symptomatic prostatic hypertrophy or bladder outlet obstruction were excluded from these trials. An additional 6-month trial conducted in a Veteran's Affairs setting is not included in this safety database because only serious adverse events were collected.
The most commonly reported adverse drug reaction was dry mouth. Dry mouth was usually mild and often resolved during continued treatment. Other reactions reported in individual patients and consistent with possible anticholinergic effects included constipation, tachycardia, blurred vision, glaucoma (new onset or worsening), dysuria, and urinary retention.
Four multicenter, 1-year, placebo-controlled and active-controlled trials evaluated SPIRIVA HANDIHALER in patients with COPD. Table 1 shows all adverse reactions that occurred with a frequency of ≥3% in the SPIRIVA HANDIHALER group in the 1-year placebo-controlled trials where the rates in the SPIRIVA HANDIHALER group exceeded placebo by ≥1%. The frequency of corresponding reactions in the ipratropium-controlled trials is included for comparison.
Table 1 Adverse Reactions (% Patients) in One-Year COPD Clinical Trials
Body System (Event) | Placebo-Controlled Trials | Ipratropium-Controlled Trials | ||
SPIRIVA (n = 550) |
Placebo (n = 371) |
SPIRIVA (n = 356) |
Ipratropium (n = 179) |
|
Body as a Whole | ||||
Chest Pain (non-specific) | 7 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
Edema, Dependent | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Gastrointestinal System Disorders | ||||
Dry Mouth | 16 | 3 | 12 | 6 |
Dyspepsia | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Abdominal Pain | 5 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
Constipation | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Vomiting | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Musculoskeletal System | ||||
Myalgia | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Resistance Mechanism Disorders | ||||
Infection | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
Moniliasis | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Respiratory System (Upper) | ||||
Upper Respiratory Tract Infection | 41 | 37 | 43 | 35 |
Sinusitis | 11 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
Pharyngitis | 9 | 7 | 7 | 3 |
Rhinitis | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Epistaxis | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Skin and Appendage Disorders | ||||
Rash | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Urinary System | ||||
Urinary Tract Infection | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
Arthritis, coughing, and influenza-like symptoms occurred at a rate of ≥3% in the SPIRIVA HANDIHALER treatment group, but were <1% in excess of the placebo group.
Other reactions that occurred in the SPIRIVA HANDIHALER group at a frequency of 1% to 3% in the placebo-controlled trials where the rates exceeded that in the placebo group include:
Body as a Whole: allergic reaction, leg pain;
Central and Peripheral Nervous System: dysphonia, paresthesia;
Gastrointestinal System Disorders: gastrointestinal disorder not otherwise specified (NOS), gastroesophageal reflux, stomatitis (including ulcerative stomatitis);
Metabolic and Nutritional Disorders: hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia;
Musculoskeletal System Disorders: skeletal pain;
Cardiac Events: angina pectoris (including aggravated angina pectoris);
Psychiatric Disorder: depression; Infections: herpes zoster;
Respiratory System Disorder (Upper): laryngitis;
Vision Disorder: cataract.
In addition, among the adverse reactions observed in the clinical trials with an incidence of <1% were atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, angioedema, and urinary retention.
In the 1-year trials, the incidence of dry mouth, constipation, and urinary tract infection increased with age [see Use In Specific Populations].
Two multicenter, 6-month, controlled studies evaluated SPIRIVA HANDIHALER in patients with COPD. The adverse reactions and the incidence rates were similar to those seen in the 1-year controlled trials.
4-Year Trial
The data described below reflect exposure to SPIRIVA HANDIHALER in 5992 COPD patients in a 4-year placebo-controlled trial. In this trial, 2986 patients were treated with SPIRIVA HANDIHALER at the recommended dose of 18 mcg once a day. The population had an age range from 40 to 88 years, was 75% male, 90% Caucasian, and had COPD with a mean pre-bronchodilator FEV1 percent predicted of 40%. Patients with narrow-angle glaucoma, or symptomatic prostatic hypertrophy or bladder outlet obstruction were excluded from these trials. When the adverse reactions were analyzed with a frequency of ≥3% in the SPIRIVA HANDIHALER group where the rates in the SPIRIVA HANDIHALER group exceeded placebo by ≥1%, adverse reactions included (SPIRIVA HANDIHALER, placebo): pharyngitis (12.5%, 10.8%), sinusitis (6.5%, 5.3%), headache (5.7%, 4.5%), constipation (5.1%, 3.7%), dry mouth (5.1%, 2.7%), depression (4.4%, 3.3%), insomnia (4.4%, 3.0%), and arthralgia (4.2%, 3.1%).
Additional Adverse Reactions
Other adverse reactions not previously listed that were reported more frequently in COPD patients treated with SPIRIVA HANDIHALER than placebo include: dehydration, skin ulcer, stomatitis, gingivitis, oropharyngeal candidiasis, dry skin, skin infection, and joint swelling.
Postmarketing Experience
Adverse reactions have been identified during worldwide post-approval use of SPIRIVA HANDIHALER. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. These adverse reactions are: application site irritation (glossitis, mouth ulceration, and pharyngolaryngeal pain), dizziness, dysphagia, hoarseness, intestinal obstruction including ileus paralytic, intraocular pressure increased, oral candidiasis, palpitations, pruritus, tachycardia, throat irritation, and urticaria.
Read the entire FDA prescribing information for Spiriva (Tiotropium Bromide)
© Spiriva Patient Information is supplied by Cerner Multum, Inc. and Spiriva Consumer information is supplied by First Databank, Inc., used under license and subject to their respective copyrights.
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