Special Warning : אזהרת שימוש

4.4   Special warnings and precautions for use

Excipients
Benzalkonium chloride may cause wheezing and breathing difficulties. Patients with asthma are at an increased risk for these adverse events.


Spiriva Respimat                                       Prescribing information Solution for inhalation                                July 2019
Tiotropium bromide, as a once daily maintenance bronchodilator, should not be used for the initial treatment of acute episodes of bronchospasm, or for the relief of acute symptoms. In the event of an acute attack a rapid-acting beta-2-agonist should be used.

Spiriva Respimat should not be used as monotherapy for asthma. Asthma patients must be advised to continue taking anti-inflammatory therapy, i.e. inhaled corticosteroids, unchanged after the introduction of Spiriva Respimat, even when their symptoms improve.

Immediate hypersensitivity reactions may occur after administration of tiotropium bromide inhalation solution.

Consistent with its anticholinergic activity, tiotropium bromide should be used with caution in patients with narrow-angle glaucoma, prostatic hyperplasia or bladder-neck obstruction.

Inhaled medicines may cause inhalation-induced bronchospasm.

Tiotropium should be used with caution in patients with recent myocardial infarction < 6 months; any unstable or life threatening cardiac arrhythmia or cardiac arrhythmia requiring intervention or a change in drug therapy in the past year; hospitalisation of heart failure (NYHA Class III or IV) within the past year. These patients were excluded from the clinical trials and these conditions may be affected by the anticholinergic mechanism of action.

As plasma concentration increases with decreased renal function in patients with moderate to severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance ≤ 50 ml/min) tiotropium bromide should be used only if the expected benefit outweighs the potential risk. There is no long term experience in patients with severe renal impairment (see 5.2).

Patients should be cautioned to avoid getting the spray into their eyes. They should be advised that this may result in precipitation or worsening of narrow-angle glaucoma, eye pain or discomfort, temporary blurring of vision, visual halos or coloured images in association with red eyes from conjunctival congestion and corneal oedema. Should any combination of these eye symptoms develop, patients should stop using tiotropium bromide and consult a specialist immediately.

Dry mouth, which has been observed with anti-cholinergic treatment, may in the long term be associated with dental caries.

Tiotropium bromide should not be used more frequently than once daily (see 4.9).

Spiriva Respimat is not recommended in cystic fibrosis (CF). If used in patients with CF, Spiriva Respimat may increase the signs and symptoms of CF (e.g. serious adverse events, pulmonary exacerbations, respiratory tract infections).

Effects on Driving

4.7   Effects on ability to drive and use machines

No studies on the effects on the ability to drive and use machines have been performed. The occurrence of dizziness or blurred vision may influence the ability to drive and use machinery.