Tiotropium is used to prevent wheezing, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, a group of diseases that affect the lungs and airways) such as chronic bronchitis (swelling of the air passages that lead to the lungs) and emphysema (damage to air sacs in the lungs). Tiotropium is in a class of medications called bronchodilators. It works by relaxing and opening the air passages to the lungs to make breathing easier.