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Ambroxol

Medication mucolytic cold & flu
Aka: Mucosolvan, Mucosolvan Junior, ambroxol hydrochloride
Brands seen in Singapore: Mucosolvan, Strepsils Cough for Chesty Cough, Shinoxol, Polibroxol, Amxol
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Chesty cough — thins mucus or phlegm in the air passages
When to take
1 tablet three times daily per the mucosolvan 30 mg label
Take with
After food per HealthHub · capsules with or without food
Pros & cons
Pros
  • All four mucosolvan products are general sale list
  • Cochrane: one trial favoured mucolytics over placebo
  • HealthHub: tablet, prolonged-release capsule or syrup
Cons
  • 4 of 8 SG registrations are prescription only
  • Cochrane: no good evidence for or against otc cough
  • Nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain are common
Sources
  1. HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Ambroxol, uses / administration / side effects (article last reviewed 17 Mar 2026) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Ambroxol is a type of mucolytic that works by thinning and loosening mucus or phlegm in the airways … It may come in tablet, prolonged-release capsule or syrup form … You should take Ambroxol after food”
  2. HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Ambroxol, precautions and side-effect sections (article last reviewed 17 Mar 2026) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “gastric ulcers, liver or kidney problems and lung conditions e.g. Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) or severe uncontrolled asthma … Common side effects may include nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain”
  3. MOH National Drug Formulary — MUCOSOLVAN TABLET 30 MG [SIN02696P], Dosing section of the SG patient leaflet · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The recommended dose for adults is 1 tablet 3 times daily. For better effect, you may administer 2 tablets 2 times daily … Mucosolvan is not recommended for children under 2 years of age without medical advice”
  4. MOH National Drug Formulary — MUCOSOLVAN TABLET 30 MG [SIN02696P], forensic classification and exemption fields · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Forensic Classification GENERAL SALE LIST … Prescription-only Medicines with Exemptions for Supply without Prescription: As an oral solid preparation containing not more than 30mg.”
  5. HSA register of therapeutic products (data.gov.sg d_767279312753558cbf19d48344577084) — 8 ambroxol rows, filtered locally 27 Aug 26 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “MUCOSOLVAN TABLET 30 mg … General Sale List … Mucosolvan 24 Hours Capsule 75mg … STREPSILS COUGH FOR CHESTY COUGH LOZENGE … SHINOXOL TABLETS 30 mg … Prescription Only … POLIBROXOL … AMXOL … AXOL LIQUID”
  6. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — OTC medications for acute cough in children and adults in community settings (Smith, Schroeder, Fahey 2014; PMC7061814) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The results of one trial favoured active treatment with mucolytics over placebo … There is no good evidence for or against the effectiveness of OTC medicines in acute cough”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.