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Phenylephrine

Medication decongestant cold & flu
Aka: Sudafed PE
Brands seen in Singapore: Panadol Cold Relief PE, Decolgen, Ricoflu, Uniflu, Maxigesic PE
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
SG label: blocked nose, fever and aches in colds and flu
When to take
SG label: 2 caplets every 4–6 hours, up to 8 a day
Take with
SG label: water · not with other cough or cold medicines
Pros & cons
Pros
  • HSA: 11 of 16 SG products are general sale list
  • FDA: the proposed order is about effect, not safety
  • SG label: paired with paracetamol for fever and aches
Cons
  • FDA 2024: proposed removing oral pe as not effective
  • US otc label: not with an MAOI, or 2 weeks after
  • SG label: no more than 8 caplets a day, 5 days
Sources
  1. HSA — Listing of Registered Therapeutic Products (data.gov.sg dataset d_767279312753558cbf19d48344577084), Forensicclassification column; all 5,511 rows cached at /tmp/hsa_all.json and filtered locally (never re-fetched), 16 phenylephrine rows, 11 General Sale List / 1 Pharmacy Only / 4 Prescription Only, 27 Aug 2026 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Panadol Cold Relief PE, Panadol Sinus MAX, Panadol FluMax, RICOFLU, UNIFLU, DECOLGEN NON DROWSE and MAXIGESIC PE read "General Sale List"; DECOLGEN COLD & FLU EXTRA STRENGTH reads "Pharmacy Only"; MINIMS eye drops and PHENYLALPHA injections read "Prescription Only"”
  2. MOH National Drug Formulary — PANADOL COLD RELIEF PE CAPLET [SIN13878P], Product information block · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “PARACETAMOL - 500 MG; PHENYLEPHRINE HCL - 5 MG … Forensic Classification: GENERAL SALE LIST · Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) code N02BE51”
  3. MOH National Drug Formulary — PANADOL COLD RELIEF PE CAPLET [SIN13878P], What is it used for · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “For fast and effective relief of cold and flu symptoms such as: Blocked nose; Fever; Body aches or other associated pains”
  4. MOH National Drug Formulary — PANADOL COLD RELIEF PE CAPLET [SIN13878P], How to use · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Adults (including the elderly) and children aged 12 years and over: Take 2 caplets with water, every 4 to 6 hours as needed. Do not take more than 8 caplets per day.”
  5. MOH National Drug Formulary — PANADOL COLD RELIEF PE CAPLET [SIN13878P], How to use (duration, children, alcohol) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “If symptoms persist after 5 days, seek medical advice. Children under 12 years: Not recommended, except on the advice of a doctor. Avoid taking alcohol with this medicine.”
  6. MOH National Drug Formulary — PANADOL COLD RELIEF PE CAPLET [SIN13878P], How to use (combination warnings) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Do not take with any other medicines for the relief of cough and colds, congestion or blocked nose. Do not use this medicine if you are taking … any other … medicines containing paracetamol”
  7. MOH National Drug Formulary — PANADOL COLD RELIEF PE CAPLET [SIN13878P], Contraindications · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “You are allergic to Paracetamol, Phenylephrine Hydrochloride or any of the other ingredients … You are taking or have taken in the past two weeks drugs called Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI's)”
  8. US FDA OTC Drug Facts (DailyMed/openFDA) — Sudafed PE Sinus Congestion, phenylephrine HCl 10 mg, Purpose and Uses · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Purpose: Nasal decongestant. Uses: temporarily relieves sinus congestion and pressure; temporarily relieves nasal congestion due to the common cold, hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies”
  9. US FDA OTC Drug Facts (DailyMed/openFDA) — Sudafed PE Sinus Congestion, Active ingredient and Directions · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Active ingredient (in each tablet) Phenylephrine HCl 10 mg … adults and children 12 years and over take 1 tablet every 4 hours; do not take more than 6 tablets in 24 hours”
  10. US FDA OTC Drug Facts (DailyMed/openFDA) — Sudafed PE Sinus Congestion, Warnings · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Ask a doctor before use if you have heart disease; high blood pressure; thyroid disease; diabetes; trouble urinating due to an enlarged prostate gland … Stop use and ask a doctor if nervousness, dizziness, or sleeplessness occur”
  11. US FDA OTC Drug Facts (DailyMed/openFDA) — Sudafed PE Sinus Congestion, Do not use · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Do not use if you are now taking a prescription monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) … or for 2 weeks after stopping the MAOI drug.”
  12. US FDA news release, 7 November 2024 — FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Monograph Nasal Decongestant Active Ingredient After Extensive Review · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “proposing to remove oral phenylephrine as an active ingredient that can be used in over-the-counter (OTC) monograph drug products for the temporary relief of nasal congestion … oral phenylephrine is not effective for this use”
  13. US FDA news release, 7 November 2024 — status of the proposed order · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “For now, companies may continue to market OTC monograph drug products containing oral phenylephrine … This is a proposed order. Only a final order will affect what products can be marketed … based on effectiveness concerns, not on safety concerns.”
  14. NHS — Decongestants (conditions A–Z), what they are · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Decongestants are a type of medicine that can provide short-term relief for a blocked or stuffy nose (nasal congestion) … They work by reducing the swelling of the blood vessels in your nose, which helps to open the airways.”
  15. NHS — Decongestants: babies and children · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Decongestants should not be given to children under 6 years of age. Children aged 6 to 11 should take them for no longer than 5 days. Ask a pharmacist for advice about this.”
  16. NHS — Decongestants: taking decongestants with other medicines · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “taking decongestants alongside some antidepressants can cause a dangerous rise in blood pressure. Do not use more than one medicine to treat a blocked nose at the same time. This includes using nasal sprays together or combining them with tablets”
  17. NHS — Decongestants: pregnant and breastfeeding women · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “It's not clear whether it's safe to take any type of decongestant if you're pregnant, so you should only use them if told to by a healthcare professional.”
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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.