People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; a group of conditions that affect the lungs and airways), including chronic bronchitis (swelling of the air passages that lead to the lungs), and emphysema, can use ipratropium oral inhalation to prevent wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, and chest tightness (damage to the air sacs in the lungs). Ipratropium belongs to the group of drugs known as bronchodilators. To facilitate breathing, it relaxes and widens the airways to the lungs.

Ipratropium is available as a liquid solution for oral inhalation through a nebulizer, a device that transforms medication into a mist that can be inhaled, and as an aerosol for oral inhalation through an inhaler. Every 6 to 8 hours, the nebulizer solution is typically used three or four times a day. Typically, the aerosol is used four times per day. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any instructions on your prescription label that you are unsure about following. Follow the ipratropium instructions exactly. Use it only as directed by your doctor, neither more nor less often.

Consult your physician for advice on what to do if you encounter symptoms like wheezing, breathing problems, or pressure in your chest. To treat these symptoms, your doctor will likely prescribe a different inhaler that works faster than ipratropium. To address these symptoms, your doctor can also advise you to take more ipratropium puffs in addition to other medications. Be sure to carefully follow these instructions and to understand when to use each of your inhalers. Ipratropium should not be taken in excess unless your doctor advises you to. Ipratropium inhalation aerosol should never be used more than 12 times in a 24-hour period.

If your symptoms worsen or you believe that ipratropium inhalation is no longer controlling your symptoms, contact your doctor right away. Call your doctor if you were instructed to take more ipratropium dosages but discover that you need to take more than usual.

Your medication will be in canisters if you’re using an inhaler. Ipratropium aerosol canisters are made to last 200 inhalations each. Later inhalations could not contain the prescribed dosage of medication if the labelled number of inhalations has been reached. You ought to keep note of how many breaths you’ve taken. To determine how many days your inhaler will last, divide the number of inhalations it has by the number of inhalations you use daily. Even if the canister still has some liquid and continues to spray when squeezed, dispose of it once you have utilised the designated number of inhalations. Do not submerge the canister to check if the medication is still within.

Avoid getting ipratropium in your eyes at all costs. Keep your eyes closed while using the inhaler if you’re taking medicine. If you’re utilising the nebulizer solution, a mouthpiece-equipped nebulizer should be used rather than a face mask. Ask your doctor how to stop the medication from leaking if you must use a face mask. You could develop narrow angle glaucoma if you accidentally receive ipratropium in your eyes (a serious eye condition that may cause loss of vision). Your narrow angle glaucoma may get worse if you already have it. Widening of the pupils, eye discomfort or redness, impaired vision, and vision alterations like seeing haloes around lights are possible symptoms. If you receive ipratropium in your eyes or experience any of these side effects, contact your doctor right once.

Ipratropium aerosol comes with an inhaler that is only meant to be used with an ipratropium canister. Never inhale any other medication via it, and never inhale ipratropium through any other inhaler.

When you are close to a flame or other source of heat, avoid using your ipratropium inhaler. If the inhaler is subjected to extremely high temperatures, it may explode.

Read the enclosed written instructions before using ipratropium inhalation for the first time. In order to use the inhaler or nebulizer, ask your physician, pharmacist, or respiratory therapist for instructions. While he or she observes, practise using the nebulizer or inhaler.

Follow these instructions to use a nebulizer to inhale the solution:

1. The clear end of the inhaler should be held facing upward. Put the metal canister inside the inhaler’s clear end. Make sure the canister is at room temperature and that it is fully and securely in place.
2. The mouthpiece’s protective dust cap should be removed. Check the mouthpiece for debris or other things if the dust cap wasn’t on it.
3. Press down on the canister to release two sprays into the air, away from your face, if you are using the inhaler for the first time or if it has been three days since your last usage. While priming the inhaler, be careful not to spray medication into your eyes.
4. Exhale through your mouth as fully as you can.
5. With the mouthpiece on the bottom and facing you, hold the inhaler between your thumb and the following two fingers. Put the mouthpiece’s open end inside your mouth. Your lips should be tightly sealed around the mouthpiece.
6. Shut your eyes.
7. Take a few deep breaths through the mouthpiece, slowly. Press down forcefully on the canister at the same time.
   10 seconds of breath holding. After then, remove the inhaler and take a deep breath out.
8. If you were instructed to use two puffs, repeat steps 4 through 7 after waiting at least 15 seconds.
9. On the inhaler, replace the protective cap.

Follow these instructions to use a nebulizer to inhale the solution:

1. Remove the cap from one vial of ipratropium solution and pour the entire contents into the reservoir of the nebulizer.
2. Connect the face mask or mouthpiece to the nebulizer reservoir.
3. Connect the compressor and nebulizer.
4. Wear the face mask or put the mouthpiece in your mouth. Turn on the compressor while seated comfortably and upright.
5. For approximately 5 to 15 minutes, inhale steadily, deeply, and uniformly until the nebulizer’s mist-forming action comes to an end.

Regularly clean your nebulizer or inhaler. If you have any concerns about cleaning your inhaler or nebulizer, carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions and see your doctor or pharmacist.

Ipratropium is also sometimes used to treat the symptoms of asthma. Talk to your doctor about the risks of using this medication for your condition

Before using ipratropium inhalation,

• If you have an allergy to atropine (Atropen), ipratropium, or any other drugs, let your doctor and pharmacist know right away.
• Inform your doctor and pharmacist about all prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products that you are now taking or intend to use. Antihistamines, drugs for irritable bowel syndrome, motion sickness, Parkinson’s disease, ulcers, or urinary issues should all be mentioned. Your physician might need to adjust the dosage of your drugs or keep a close eye on you for side effects.
• Ask your doctor if there is a certain window of time before or after using ipratropium inhalation if you are utilising any other inhaled drugs. Ask your doctor if you can combine any of your other drugs with ipratropium in the nebulizer if you use one.
• Inform your doctor if you have or have had had glaucoma, urinary issues, or a disorder affecting the prostate (the male reproductive organ).
• Inform your doctor if you are expecting, intend to get pregnant, or are nursing a baby. Call your doctor if you become pregnant while taking ipratropium.
• If you will be having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are using ipratropium.
• You should be aware that ipratropium inhalation occasionally results in wheezing and breathing difficulties right away. Make a quick call to your doctor if this occurs. Ipratropium inhalation shouldn’t be used again unless your doctor advises you to.

Keep eating normally unless your doctor instructs you otherwise.

The missed dose should be taken as soon as you remember. If the next dose is soon due, skip the missed one and carry on with your regular dosing plan. To make up for a missing dose, do not take a second one.

Ipratropium could have negative effects. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Heartburn
• Constipation
• Mouth ache
• Having trouble urinating
• Difficulty urinating
• Recurring urge to urinate
• Back ache

Some adverse effects can be very harmful. Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Rash
• Hives
• Itching
• Swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, throat, eyes, cheeks, lips, tongue, or lower legs
• Hoarseness
• Breathing or swallowing challenges
• Hammering or rapid heartbeat
• Chest pain

Other negative effects of ipratropium are possible. If you experience any strange issues while taking this drug, call your doctor right away.

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store unused vials of the solution in the foil pack until you are ready to use them. Store the medication at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Do not puncture the aerosol canister, and do not discard it in an incinerator or fire.

Unused prescriptions must be disposed of carefully to prevent pets, kids, and other people from ingesting them. You should not, however, dispose of this medication in the toilet. Instead, utilising a medicine take-back programme is the easiest approach to get rid of your medication. To find out about take-back programmes in your area, speak with your pharmacist or the garbage/recycling department in your city. If you do not have access to a take-back programme, see the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website at http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p for additional information.

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Additionally, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

Allocate time to visit your doctor as scheduled.

Don’t let anyone else take your medication. Your pharmacist should be contacted with any questions you may have about medicine refills.

Every medication you take, including over-the-counter (OTC) goods, prescription medications, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals, should be documented. When visiting a doctor or being admitted to the hospital, you should always have this list with you. In case of an emergency, you should always carry this information with you.