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Suggest Remedies For Cough After Intake Of Spiriva
Posted on
Sun, 24 Apr 2016
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Sun, 24 Apr 2016
Answered on
Sat, 11 Jun 2016
Last reviewed on
Question : My doctor prescribed Spiriva 1 puff a day. Watched video on how to take it. However almost everytime I start to inhale the medicine, I start coughing immediately. I can't seem to get it into my lungs. Tried inhaling slowly then tried quickly (as my doctor recommended) doesn't seem to make a difference. I cough a lot in morning and take Singular, Advair and sometimes Proair (if needed), in morning. Thought maybe I would try taking Spiriva in evening without other medications. Any suggestions?
Brief Answer:
Some suggestions:
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
I take Incruse (an anticholinergic inhaler just like Spiriva) for asthma, and I know exactly what you are talking about! It is a dry powder so it sets off an irritated cough right away.
One thing you can try is to inhale part of it (quickly), hold that breath (which should be around half of a total inhalation) until that twitchy reactive cough reflex stops, then (without having exhaled) inhale the rest of the medicine (quickly).
You can try taking it in the evening as your airways may be calmer then.
If none of this helps, consider asking your doctor to switch you to Spiriva Soft Mist Inhaler. This may be helpful if you just can't tolerate the dry version. I believe it may be a bit more inconvenient than the dry version though.
I hope this information helps. Please let me know if I can provide further information or clarification.
By the way, I've also found that if I rinse my mouth even while still holding my breath with the inhaled medicine in my lungs, I get less of the anticholinergic mouth dryness later compared with if the medicine has a chance to be absorbed in my mouth. Something to consider once you are able to get the medicine in your lungs.
Some suggestions:
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
I take Incruse (an anticholinergic inhaler just like Spiriva) for asthma, and I know exactly what you are talking about! It is a dry powder so it sets off an irritated cough right away.
One thing you can try is to inhale part of it (quickly), hold that breath (which should be around half of a total inhalation) until that twitchy reactive cough reflex stops, then (without having exhaled) inhale the rest of the medicine (quickly).
You can try taking it in the evening as your airways may be calmer then.
If none of this helps, consider asking your doctor to switch you to Spiriva Soft Mist Inhaler. This may be helpful if you just can't tolerate the dry version. I believe it may be a bit more inconvenient than the dry version though.
I hope this information helps. Please let me know if I can provide further information or clarification.
By the way, I've also found that if I rinse my mouth even while still holding my breath with the inhaled medicine in my lungs, I get less of the anticholinergic mouth dryness later compared with if the medicine has a chance to be absorbed in my mouth. Something to consider once you are able to get the medicine in your lungs.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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