Tiotropium vs Ipratropium: side effects in FDA adverse event reports
At a glance
| Tiotropium | Ipratropium | |
|---|---|---|
| Drug class | – | – |
| Brand names | Tiotropium Bromide | Atrovent Hfa |
| FAERS reports | 136,142 | 35,447 |
| Serious | 50% | 76% |
| Death outcome | 9,792 | 4,692 |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
Signals both drugs share
| Reaction | Tiotropium | Ipratropium | Label screen (A / B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obstructive airways disorder | 2,820 · PRR 51.9 | 1,348 · PRR 81.2 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome | 271 · PRR 168.4 | 277 · PRR 680.7 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Bronchopulmonary aspergillosis allergic | 205 · PRR 44.2 | 167 · PRR 131.8 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Total lung capacity increased | 152 · PRR 194.5 | 168 · PRR 959.3 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Lung hyperinflation | 195 · PRR 44.7 | 69 · PRR 51.3 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Restrictive pulmonary disease | 173 · PRR 26.6 | 88 · PRR 48.1 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Reversible airways obstruction | 184 · PRR 85.7 | 73 · PRR 97.7 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Forced vital capacity decreased | 161 · PRR 50.7 | 51 · PRR 50.4 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Prolonged expiration | 92 · PRR 82.2 | 74 · PRR 230.5 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Congenital hiatus hernia | 115 · PRR 166.9 | 46 · PRR 154.9 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Vital capacity decreased | 107 · PRR 47.8 | 34 · PRR 48.2 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Respiratory gas exchange disorder | 80 · PRR 42.2 | 60 · PRR 114.2 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
Labeled signals distinctive to Tiotropium
- Right atrial hypertrophy — n=89, PRR 639.8 Labeled (related wording)
Labeled signals distinctive to Ipratropium
- Hyper ige syndrome — n=53, PRR 514.5 Labeled (related wording)
Common questions
Which has more reported side effects, Tiotropium or Ipratropium?
Tiotropium has 136,142 FAERS reports and Ipratropium 35,447. More reports does not mean more dangerous: volume follows how widely and how long a drug has been used, prescription vs over-the-counter status, and publicity. The seriousness share (50% vs 76%) is a better like-for-like signal of the kind of problems reported.
Which side effects do Tiotropium and Ipratropium share?
Both drugs carry disproportionality signals for obstructive airways disorder, asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome, bronchopulmonary aspergillosis allergic, total lung capacity increased, lung hyperinflation. Shared signals often reflect a shared drug class or the condition both are used for.
Is Tiotropium or Ipratropium safer?
FAERS cannot answer that: it has no denominator and no comparator. Use this page to see which risks are already on each label and which signals are unlabeled, then check the prescribing information and your clinician for your situation.
Sources: openFDA FAERS pair statistics (OpenPV build 2026-09-14), FDA labels via openFDA, openFDA count queries for seriousness and deaths. Pair chosen because it is a commonly searched comparison. Generated 2026-10-08.