Bromhexine

Medication mucolytic respiratorycold & flu

Aka: Bisolvon, bromhexine HCl

Brands seen in Singapore: Duro-Tuss Chesty Cough, Mucolix, Vasican, Hosolvon, Axcel Bromhexine

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 and loosens mucus in the airways

When to take

Three times a day per label · with or without food

Take with

With or without food · syrups shaken first (HealthHub)

Pros & cons

Pros

HealthHub: may be taken with or without food
One trial in the cochrane review favoured mucolytics
Two SG products are general sale list — off the shelf

Cons

7 of 9 SG registrations are prescription only
Cochrane: no good evidence for or against otc cough
Nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain are common

Sources

HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Bromhexine, uses / administration / side effects (article last reviewed 17 Mar 2026) · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Bromhexine is a type of mucolytic that works by thinning and loosening mucus or phlegm in the airways … You may take Bromhexine with or without food … Common side effects may include nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain”
HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Bromhexine, precautions and interactions 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 … Let your healthcare professional know if you are taking … any other herbal products, supplements, or medications”
Medsafe (New Zealand) Data Sheet — BISOLVON CHESTY FORTE bromhexine hydrochloride tablets and oral solution, section 4.2 dose (ds4, 20 Dec 2021) · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Adults and children 12 years and over: One tablet (8 mg) three times a day when necessary. May be increased to two tablets (16 mg) three times a day for the first seven days.”
Medsafe (New Zealand) Data Sheet — BISOLVON CHESTY FORTE, sections 4.2/4.3/4.4 age limits and precautions · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Do not use in children under 6 years of age. Use in children aged 6 to 11 years only on the advice of a doctor, pharmacist or nurse practitioner … caution in patients with severe liver disease and severe renal failure”
Medsafe (New Zealand) Data Sheet — BISOLVON CHESTY FORTE, sections 4.5/4.6 interactions, pregnancy and lactation · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“No clinically relevant unfavourable interactions … such as ampicillin, oxytetracycline or erythromycin, have been reported. Interaction studies with oral anticoagulants or digoxin were not performed … preferable to avoid the use … during pregnancy … should not be used during breast-feeding”
MOH National Drug Formulary — DURO-TUSS CHESTY COUGH LIQUID [SIN10014P] (HSA-registered product record) · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“DURO-TUSS CHESTY COUGH LIQUID [SIN10014P] … BROMHEXINE HCL - 12 MG/15 ML … Forensic Classification: GENERAL SALE LIST … Licence Holder: INOVA PHARMACEUTICALS (SINGAPORE) PTE. LIMITED”
HSA register of therapeutic products (data.gov.sg open data d_767279312753558cbf19d48344577084, datastore_search API) — bromhexine rows · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Productname: HOSOLVON TABLET 8 mg … Strength: 8.00mg … Forensicclassification: Prescription Only … Productname: DURO-TUSS CHESTY COUGH LIQUID … General Sale List … Productname: MUCOLIX ELIXIR 4 mg/5 ml … General Sale List”
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — Over-the-counter (OTC) medications for acute cough in children and adults in community settings (Smith, Schroeder, Fahey 2014; PMC7061814) · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“One trial found that a mucolytic reduced cough frequency and symptom scores … 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.

In Singapore

Classification
HSA register

prescription-only

This is the Singapore classification, taken from the HSA register. Dosing stays with the label and your pharmacist or doctor — this page never tells you how much to take.

What the label says

No Singapore product insert with a dose table could be found; the closest label is the bisolvon chesty forte data sheet (bromhexine hcl 8 mg), which reads 'Adults and children 12 years and over: One tablet (8 mg) three times a day when necessary. May be increased to two tablets (16 mg) three times a day for the first seven days' and 'Do not use in children under 6 years of age'; SG registrations are 8 mg tablets and 4 mg/5 ml elixirs/syrups, so strengths differ — HealthHub adds that if symptoms persist or worsen after one week, speak to your healthcare professional; as directed on the label or by your doctor or pharmacist

Who should check first

Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before taking this if any of these apply to you.

Gastric ulcer, liver or kidney problems: HealthHub says say so first
Copd or severe uncontrolled asthma: HealthHub says say so first
Pregnant or breastfeeding: the bisolvon data sheet says avoid
Under 6: bisolvon data sheet says do not use; 6–11 only on advice

Documented interactions

With medicines and supplements

Ampicillin, oxytetracycline, erythromycin: bisolvon data sheet: no clinically relevant unfavourable interactions reported with these medicines⁵
Oral anticoagulants, digoxin: bisolvon data sheet: interaction studies were not performed — untested, not shown safe⁵
Other herbal products, supplements or medicines: HealthHub asks that you tell your healthcare professional what else you are taking²

Only combinations someone has written down appear here. A pair that is missing is unrecorded, not cleared.