Spiriva Respimat for COPD, Maintenance User Reviews

• Sue...
• May 15, 2018

"I was using Spiriva capsules for almost 10 years with no problem. Recently, my insurance company stopped covering it and switched to the Respimat. The first two nights, I was kept awake with restless legs. In just 5 days, I'm dealing with urine retention, sinus issues, a hoarse voice, and constipation. It may work well for some, but not for me. I wish they would leave well enough alone. I don't believe these changes are to benefit the patients; only the insurance companies and Big Pharma. Otherwise, they would not force people to switch to a new medication when the one they are on is working just fine. I'm so sick and tired of being an experiment for the drug companies, who probably give the insurance company a deal. I was told that it was easier to use. Ease of use is meaningless to me if the side effects make me feel worse than the condition they are supposed to treat. We are all different, and it may work fine for others. I think it is too strong for me."

• Ber...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 7, 2016

"I was prescribed Spiriva Respimat just three weeks ago, and the results have been amazingly effective. I was a smoker from the age of 12 until the age of 71, and I was finally able to quit 11 years ago. I have been suffering the effects of COPD for at least the last 3 or 4 years (maybe longer), but the condition has gone undiagnosed until very recently. I was unable to walk to my mailbox or take a shower without becoming extremely exhausted. I was constantly coughing up large amounts of phlegm, both day and night, making getting a good night's sleep difficult, if not impossible. I have not woken up once in the past two weeks to cough up phlegm, although I still cough up small amounts of phlegm during the day. I have not suffered any allergies."

• Cha...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 2, 2020

"Yeah, I tried it for 3 months. It sucks, it gives me an automatic headache. The doctor recommended that I go back on the HandiHaler, and once I went back to it, I didn't have all the headaches and other stomach complaints that I had with the Respimat mist. Sorry you failed at it, give us savings cards towards the HandiHaler. It will save money."

• Wen...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 1, 2024

"I have been using Spiriva Respimat for over a year. Helped with breathing a lot. However, in the last year, my eyes deteriorated a lot, blurry vision, and now halos around mainly street signs. And my sleep has gotten bad. I put this down to old age, never connected the two with a two-puff-a-day inhaler. I will not lose my ability to see. I will never use this medication again."

• Min...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 12, 2019

"I have been on Spiriva Respimat for over two years, and it works well. I have severe COPD, and it definitely helps. It's easy to inhale because the medicine is under pressure, so it flows out of the device easily, meaning I think I get more in my lungs. My insurance company is playing doctor again and won't cover it any longer. Now I have to switch. Oh well..."

• key...
• December 19, 2017

"I used Spiriva Respimat for four weeks, and after two weeks, my voice started to go hoarse. I stopped after four weeks, and it is now five weeks that I have had no voice and can barely whisper. I initially benefitted from usage, but it made very little difference. I am desperate to know if I will ever get my voice back. My doctor is arranging for me to see an ENT specialist."

• adn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 7, 2017

"I was recently given this inhaler to try by my doctor. I smoked for 47 years. Four years ago, I quit, and I used to exercise a lot, was a dancer on weekends and free time. Maybe my COPD did not get as bad because of it. Oxygenation is greater when you do cardiovascular exercise. I am also an asthma patient since I was a kid. I developed polymyalgia rheumatica, a very painful illness that can only be treated with prednisone. I got so fat I had to quit dancing. I noticed I was getting very tired and short of breath every time I had to walk long distances or climb stairs. For two months, I used this medicine. I was so happy I could finally breathe while climbing stairs and doing cardio. The only problem is it is too expensive and medical insurance does not cover."

• Anonymous
• March 25, 2021

"Since my insurance would not cover my Anoro, my doctor put me on this Respimat covered by my insurance. This was the worst contraption I had ever seen in an inhaler -- impossible to use. My son had to put it together as I couldn't figure it out, and it took him a couple of minutes to do it! I have not been able to use it because I am wasting the medication! I am 73 and still have my wits about me but not able to use this inhaler! I feel very sorry for those seniors who have mental problems trying to use this inhaler! I don't know who invented something like this, but they need to go back to the drawing board! I am now without an inhaler!"

• Wel...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 26, 2015

"Ease of use is great. I used the capsule type for many years and hated it every morning. Removing the capsule from the package, inserting the cap into the device. It was difficult because I have tremors in my hands."

• Dan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2021

"Important! Please keep a watchful eye on the side of the Respimat container. When the orange area with the arrow shows at the end, please do not try to continue using the container vs. opening a new one. Why? Because I tried seeing how many dosages more I could get and, on one attempt, the second I pressed the grey button, the container bruised my lip, and on the next attempt, the container shot a piece of metal out along with mist, so I discarded the container and opened a new box. This issue needs to be fixed, as I'm lucky I kept the container away from my mouth the second try or that metal shooting out would have hit my throat, causing possible injury."

• Cin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 10, 2016

"My problem is not with the medicine, but rather the inhaler itself. The Spiriva Respimat. Hate it with a passion! I've had to make three separate trips to the pharmacy to get a replacement. After the first time, I was so careful to use it both properly and carefully. Did it help? NO! And it is a waste of time, money, and I'm unable to use the thing until I go to the pharmacist and get a replacement! Apparently, Kaiser insurance doesn't want to pay for any other Spiriva inhaler. I am currently trying to find where I can leave a formal complaint."

• ang...
• August 7, 2016

"I have been using Spiriva Respimat for several months now for COPD. Why is it important not to cover the vents on the mouthpiece, which I have been doing ever since I've been using it? My doctor never told me not to, I just read about it recently. I really don't think that I have been benefiting from the inhaler that much. Could this be the reason? I am not covering the vents any longer. The information I read says not to, but why? Maybe people are using the same as I did, hopefully, this will help several people. Thank you."

• VEW...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 9, 2022

"I find it helps my breathing, but it often runs out a day or two early. My pharmacy sets it up and wastes the four doses as instructed. Why waste four doses when there aren’t 30 days' supply left? This makes no sense and leaves me without medication at the end of the 30 days, which is not helpful. I cannot accurately rate side effects since I am on other medications that have similar reactions."

• Kit...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 2, 2021

"I have only been using this inhaler for over a week. I can't believe the difference. I can walk up a slope and not be panting for breath. It is so easy to take, as the mist comes out slowly, it's easier to breathe it in. It is better than other inhalers to take. I was shown how to take it by my respiratory nurse."

• Lin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 27, 2023

"This works much better than the last two inhalers I've had. The others felt as though I was breathing in loose pieces of sandpaper. Amazingly, when I use SR, I can breathe much better and much quicker."

• Del...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 26, 2022

"I had to go on it because Salbutamol use became excessive and not really working anymore. I do struggle a bit with side effects, but I am 64 and have a post-viral syndrome, so any medication can whack me around. I go to the loo a bit on this and a bit itchy, but otherwise, it is great to breathe freely again, just like I used to! I do get a bit of trouble getting off to sleep, but that is getting better. I persevere with this because I know my life is being shortened with COPD and it can only get worse, and this medication may alleviate the worst symptoms in the next few years. I do not like gasping for breath while talking to my husband. Not a nice look."

• Nic...
• February 10, 2020

"No clue if this has ever done a thing for me. I don't know why I take it."

• Wif...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 12, 2019

"This Spiriva Respimat caused my husband to grasp for air because it caused his throat to close."

• Sam...
• January 8, 2019

"Spiriva worked great, but I could not continue due to an extremely itchy skin issue, it was unbearable."

• Spa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 20, 2020

"I have been using it for about a year. It works fine. I have had no side effects."

• Mwa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 23, 2018

"Started using Respimat version Spiriva. Every other use of this button sticks in, so it delivers when I turn it. Hope the next Respimat box operates correctly."