← All medications

Xylometazoline

Medication topical nasal decongestant cold & flu
Aka: Otrivin
Brands seen in Singapore: Otrivin, Snup Stada
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: stuffy nose and blocked mucus in colds
When to take
SG label: up to 3 applications a day in each nostril
Take with
NHS: not alongside another blocked-nose medicine
Pros & cons
Pros
  • SG label: starts to decongest within 2 minutes
  • SG label: the effect lasts several hours
  • HSA: general sale list — off the shelf in SG
Cons
  • SG label: not for more than 7 consecutive days
  • SG label: the 0.1% spray is for 12 years and over
  • Prolonged use may make stuffiness return or worsen
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), 3 xylometazoline rows, 27 Aug 2026 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “OTRIVIN NASAL SPRAY 0.1% (SIN11624P), OTRIVIN NASAL DROPS 0.05% (SIN11622P) and SNUP STADA SPRAY 0.1% (SIN15198P) all read "General Sale List", ATC R01AA07”
  2. MOH National Drug Formulary — OTRIVIN NASAL SPRAY 0.1% [SIN11624P], Product information block · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “XYLOMETAZOLINE HCL - 1 MG/ML … Forensic Classification: GENERAL SALE LIST · Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) code R01AA07 · Prescription-only Medicines with Exemptions for Supply without Prescription: NA”
  3. MOH National Drug Formulary — OTRIVIN NASAL SPRAY 0.1% [SIN11624P], What is Otrivin 0.1% and when is it used · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “It quickly decongests your stuffy nose and helps clear blocked mucus secretions … starts to decongest within 2 minutes and lasts for several hours … indicated in adults and in adolescents over 12 years of age.”
  4. MOH National Drug Formulary — OTRIVIN NASAL SPRAY 0.1% [SIN11624P], How should Otrivin 0.1% be used · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Do not exceed 3 applications daily into each nostril … should not be used for more than 7 consecutive days. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor. Prolonged or excessive use may cause stuffiness in the nose to return or worsen.”
  5. MOH National Drug Formulary — OTRIVIN NASAL SPRAY 0.1% [SIN11624P], When must Otrivin 0.1% not be used · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “you have undergone recent trans-nasal surgery … you have narrow angle glaucoma … chronic nasal inflammation with very dry nasal passages (rhinitis sicca or atrophic rhinitis); the child is below 12 years of age”
  6. 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.”
  7. NHS — Decongestants: who can take decongestants · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “They should not be used … without getting advice from a pharmacist or GP first: people with diabetes; people with high blood pressure; people with an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism); men with an enlarged prostate”
  8. NHS — Decongestants: how to use decongestants · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Most decongestants should only be used between 1 and 4 times a day … Decongestant nasal sprays and drops should not be used for more than 5 days at a time”
  9. 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”
Report a correction View as JSON

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.