Like all medicines, tiotropium can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them.

With inhaled tiotropium very little medicine gets into the rest of your body, so it's unlikely to give you side effects.

Common side effects

This common side effect of tiotropium inhalers may happen in more than 1 in 100 people. There are things you can do to help cope:

Dry mouth

Try chewing sugar-free gum or sucking sugar-free sweets.

Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if this advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect is still bothering you or does not go away.

Serious side effects

It's unusual to have any serious side effects when using a tiotropium inhaler.

Call a doctor or call 111 straight away if you have:

difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
blurred vision, red eyes, or you see rings around lights – these can be signs of glaucoma
difficulty peeing (urinary retention)
a faster heartbeat or can feel your heartbeat (heart palpitations)
difficulty swallowing

In rare cases, tiotropium may cause a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).

your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly become swollen
you're breathing very fast or struggling to breathe (you may become very wheezy or feel like you're choking or gasping for air)
your throat feels tight or you're struggling to swallow
your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (if you have black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet)
you suddenly become very confused, drowsy or dizzy
someone faints and cannot be woken up
a child is limp, floppy or not responding like they normally do (their head may fall to the side, backwards or forwards, or they may find it difficult to lift their head or focus on your face)

You or the person who's unwell may also have a rash that's swollen, raised, itchy, blistered or peeling.

These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital.

Do not drive yourself to A&E.

The person you speak to at 999 will give you advice about what to do.

These are not all the side effects of tiotropium inhalers. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme.