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Precautions and Warnings With Ipratropium HFA Inhaler
Precautions and warnings with ipratropium HFA inhaler should be reviewed with your healthcare provider and fully understood before starting treatment. For example, you should know that the medication may make glaucoma, bladder problems, or breathing problems worse. Precautions and warnings with ipratropium HFA inhaler also include the possibility of allergic reactions and the potential for drug interactions.
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You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking the ipratropium HFA inhaler (Atrovent® HFA) if you have:
- An enlarged prostate (known medically as benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH)
- Glaucoma
- A bladder problem
- Any allergies, including allergies to food, dyes, or preservatives.
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
- Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant
- Breastfeeding.
Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Warnings and precautions to be aware of prior to using the ipratropium HFA inhaler include the following:
- The ipratropium HFA inhaler is an anticholinergic medication. As with all anticholinergic medications, the ipratropium HFA inhaler can worsen glaucoma, bladder problems, and prostate problems. Talk to your healthcare provider before using the drug if you have any of these problems.
- The ipratropium HFA inhaler is not a fast-acting medication and cannot replace fast-acting rescue inhalers. Tell your healthcare provider if the drug is not adequately controlling your breathing problems.
- Sometimes, inhaled medications (including the ipratropium HFA inhaler) can make breathing problems worse. Tell your healthcare provider if the medication seems to make your breathing problems worse.
- Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you have any vision or eye changes while using the drug.
- The ipratropium HFA inhaler can interact with other medications (see Atrovent Drug Interactions).
- The ipratropium HFA inhaler is considered a pregnancy Category B medication. This means that it is probably safe to use during pregnancy, although the full risks are not known. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks and benefits of using the drug while pregnant (see Atrovent and Pregnancy).
- It is not known if ipratropium HFA passes through breast milk. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding or plan to start, discuss this with your healthcare provider prior to using the drug (see Atrovent and Breastfeeding).
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD