All You Should Know About Using Spiriva
A maintenance prescription, Spiriva is recommended to treat Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) for bronchospasms and asthma relief. However, this medicine is not for treating sudden breathing issues. Spiriva belongs to anticholinergic drugs to inhibit acetylcholine reaction in the body. The medicine is responsible for signal transmission between particular cells that affect specific body functions. It relaxes muscles that surround the airways. When coping with COPD, muscles lining the airways tighten becoming narrow leading difficulty breathing.
Conditions that require Spiriva
This bronchodilator medicine is for treating various lung ailments including COPD, emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma. Having these conditions makes you experience shortness of breath and wheezing. Spiriva treats these problems leading to a normal and healthy life. When your doctor diagnoses that you have chronic lung ailment, Spiriva is likely to be the first medication you need.
Types of Spiriva
This medication is available in two options including Spiriva HandiHaler requiring the use of tiotropium bromide inhalation powder in a capsule. The second type is Spiriva Respimat including tiotropium bromide inhalation spray. All these forms of Spiriva have tiotropium, a long-acting muscarinic agent although they work differently.
Spiriva HandiHaler
This is used to deliver dry powder from a Spiriva 18 mcg inhalation capsule injected into this special inhaler. Keep in mind that the Spiriva capsules are not for swallowing orally. You have to only inhale it through the mouth using the HandiHaler device.
Using this device requires loading the capsule, piercing it, before taking a deep breath to inhale it through the mouthpiece. When using the Spiriva HandiHaler device, avoid tilting the device towards the floor after you have pierced the capsule. This avoids the medication from falling out of the device. To be sure that all medication is inhaled, always take a second deep breath through the mouth pierce.
Spiriva Respimat
This is the newest type of special inhaler to deliver a slow-moving mist to inhale medicine easier. The medicine quantity you take in doesn’t depend on your quickness to inhale. Spiriva Respimat is for delivering a fine mist of inhaled bronchodilators. You have to prepare the device for use by fixing the cartridge in on acquiring it from the pharmacy. Afterward, load the dosage and inhale by taking a slow deep breath through your mouth.
Recommended dosage for Spiriva
You usually inhale a single capsule twice using the Spiriva HandiHaler once daily. The capsule usually contains 18mcg of tiotropium. Those that use Spiriva Respimat take two inhalations of 2.5mcg to make the total dose of 5mcg at the same time daily. You are only recommended to take a single dose of Spiriva regardless of the device you use within 24 hours.
Keep this in mind
You have to avoid some potential errors when using this medicine. Don’t pierce the capsule various times or forgetting to piece it at all. Breathing strongly is important to allow drawing the medication from the inhaler. Ensure to take a second breath so you receive another full dose from the capsule. Only use the inhaler device for the medicine without swallowing it and use a new capsule for each dose.
How to tell you got a Spiriva dose
Check residue
When using the Spiriva Handihaler, you might not feel the powder after inhaling the dose. To tell that you have inhaled the powder from the inhaler, open the mouthpiece and tip out the capsule. Check the darkly colored surface for the presence of excess white powder. The presence of powder is a sign that you didn’t use the inhaler correctly or breath hard enough.
There is a likelihood of white powder residue build-up if you ignore cleaning the inhaler after use. However, this residue should be discernible from any powder that might remain when you don’t inhale the whole dose from the capsule.
Rattling noise
When using the Spiriva Handihaler, look out for the audible rattle noise while inhaling the dose. Breathe fairly strongly to get the dose while hearing the capsule rattle around. Breathe deeply so your lungs are full to hear the capsule vibrate. Your breathing is not strong enough if you can’t hear the rattle. Breathe two times to get the same dose from the Spiriva capsule.
How to cope with a chronic respiratory condition amid coronavirus
People living with chronic respiratory conditions are at risk of a weak immune system. This increases the risk of catching a cold, picking up a bug, and developing infections. People with respiratory problems get sick more than once annually. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, you have to keep yourself safe from ailments including influenza, colds, flu, and pneumonia.
These might settle in your chest to make you at risk of catching the highly contagious virus. Having appropriate medication handy is the best way to keep the virus at bay and keep you safe from coronavirus. Luckily, you can order Spiriva online from a reputable drug store without getting out of social distancing.
Bottom line
When suffering from chronic respiratory conditions like asthma, Spiriva is the ideal treatment. You use this through specially designed HandiHaler or Respimat inhaler.