Ipratropium

What is ipratropium?

Ipratropium is a medicine that is used with a reliever medicine, such as salbutamol, to help relieve the warning signs and the danger signs of asthma. This medicine opens the airways of your child's lungs to make breathing easier.

Ipratropium can also be used regularly with a preventer medicine, such as beclomethasone, to help prevent the warning signs and the danger signs of asthma. This medicine helps keep the airways of your child's lungs healthy when your child uses it regularly.

But if your child has the warning signs of asthma, make sure they use their reliever medicine other than ipratropium.

You may hear ipratropium called a reliever medicine. You also may hear ipratropium called by its brand name Atrovent.

How should you give your child ipratropium?

Follow these instructions when you give your child ipratropium:

• Give your child the ipratropium exactly as your doctor or your pharmacist tells you.
• Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you change the amount of ipratropium that you give your child. Stop giving your child ipratropium only if your child's doctor or pharmacist tells you to.
• Never give your child ipratropium alone to relieve the warning signs and the danger signs of asthma or to help prevent them. It should always be used with other medicines for asthma.
• Have your child breathe the ipratropium in through the mouth. If you are not sure how to give your child the ipratropium, ask your pharmacist to show you. The nurse in the Asthma Clinic who teaches you and your child about asthma can also show you how to give your child ipratropium.
• Make sure your child uses their ipratropium before taking a preventer medicine, such as beclomethasone, if they a preventer medicine. If your child uses a nebulizer to take ipratropium, they should take the ipratropium with the preventer medicine.
• Ipratropium opens the airways so that the preventer medicine can get into your child's lungs. Wait 5 minutes after giving your child the ipratropium before giving them the preventer medicine. Waiting 5 minutes helps to make sure that the airways are open enough so that your child will get the most good from the preventer medicine.
• Give the ipratropium with the other reliever medicine, such as salbutamol, and with the preventer medicine, if your child uses a nebulizer to take the ipratropium. Mix the ipratropium with the other reliever medicine and the preventer medicine in the cup for the nebulizer.
• Have your child rinse their mouth with water after taking the ipratropium to help reduce its side effects. If your child is too young to rinse their mouth out, give them water or juice after every dose of ipratropium.
• Make sure you have enough ipratropium for weekends and holidays.

What should you do if your child misses a dose of ipratropium?

If your child misses a dose of ipratropium:

• Give your child the missed dose as soon as you remember.
• Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for the next dose.
• Give your child the next dose at the regular time.

What are the possible side effects of ipratropium?

Your child may have some of these side effects while they take ipratropium. But usually your child will not need to see a doctor about them. These side effects may go away as your child's body gets used to the ipratropium.

Check with your child's doctor if your child has any of these signs or symptoms and they do not go away or they bother your child:

• a dry mouth or throat
• a cough
• an upset stomach or throwing up
• dizziness
• a bad taste in the mouth
• headaches
• nervousness
• shaking
• any change in heartbeat, such as faster, slower, or uneven heartbeats

Call your doctor as soon as possible, during office hours, if your child has any of these side effects:

• blurred eyesight
• unusual tiredness or weakness
• problems urinating

Most of the following side effects are not common, but they may be a sign of a serious problem. Call your child's doctor right away or take your child to the Emergency Department if your child has any of these side effects:

• tightness in the chest, wheezing, or trouble breathing that none of their medicines help
• a skin rash or hives, which are raised, red, itchy areas
• sores in the mouth or sores on the lips
• swelling of the tongue or the lips
• problems swallowing
• severe pain in the eye

What other important information should you know about ipratropium?

• Tell your child's doctor and pharmacist if your child has had any unusual or allergic reaction to ipratropium or any other medicines.
• Check with your child's doctor or pharmacist before you give your child any other medicine.
• Keep ipratropium at room temperature in a dry, cool place away from sunlight.
• If your child's ipratropium comes in a puffer:
• Do not put holes in the metal part of the puffer.
• Do not burn the puffer.
• Store away from sources of heat.
• If your child takes ipratropium with a nebulizer, throw away any medicine for the nebulizer that you have opened and not used after 12 hours.
• Do not keep any medicines that are out of date. Check with your pharmacist about the best way to throw away outdated or leftover medicine.
  

Keep ipratropium out of your child’s sight and reach and locked up in a safe place. If your child takes too much ipratropium, call your local Poison Information Centre at one of these numbers. These calls are free. 

• Call 1-844 POISON-X, or 1-844-764-7669, from anywhere in Canada except Quebec.
• Call 1-800-463-5060 if you live in Quebec.