Tiotropium
- Class: Anticholinergic (LAMA)
- Used for: COPD
- Say it: tye-oh-TROH-pee-um
- Forms: inhaler
Remember the name – TIO → tie
TIOTROPIUM TIES the airway's constricting nerve shut — and the knot holds for a full day.
It blocks muscarinic receptors, removing the cholinergic tone that is the main reversible narrowing in COPD. Once daily is the whole point of it.
TIOTROPIUM TIES the airway's constricting nerve shut — and the knot holds for a full day.
It blocks muscarinic receptors, removing the cholinergic tone that is the main reversible narrowing in COPD. Once daily is the whole point of it.
Mnemonic: TIOtropium ties the squeeze signal down — for 24 hours
A long-acting antimuscarinic: it blocks the nerve's 'squeeze' message to airway muscle. Once a day, for maintenance in COPD — never for rescue.
A long-acting antimuscarinic: it blocks the nerve's 'squeeze' message to airway muscle. Once a day, for maintenance in COPD — never for rescue.
Side effects
Common: dry mouth, constipation, sore throat
Serious: urinary retention, glaucoma
Typical dose
18 micrograms once daily inhaled
One inhalation once daily, at the same time each day. A second dose adds nothing.
Check yourself
Tiotropium is best described as...
- A long-acting muscarinic blocker for maintenance in COPD
- A short-acting rescue bronchodilator
- An inhaled corticosteroid
- A leukotriene receptor blocker
Show answer
A. A long-acting muscarinic blocker for maintenance in COPD
Long-acting and antimuscarinic are both load-bearing. Reaching for it during an attack wastes time — it is not a rescue drug, and albuterol is.
See it, don't memorize it
The app has the mechanism comic and a patient case for Tiotropium – plus the name link, the class mnemonic, pronunciation you can hear, and a self-check, for the top 100 drugs. One purchase, no subscription, no account.