Can These Medicines Be Bought Over The Counter In Singapore? (Explained)

You may want to buy a certain medicine in Singapore, but are not sure whether you need a prescription to buy it.

Here’s a guide to explain how you can tell which drugs can be bought over the counter, and which ones can’t!

Understanding the classification of medicines in Singapore

The regulation of medicines in Singapore is conducted by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), under the Health Products (Therapeutic Products) Regulations.

In the regulations, there are 3 classes that are used to classify drugs in Singapore:

Classification	Definition
Prescription-Only Medicines (POM)	Requires a prescription before the medicine can be dispensed
Pharmacy-Only Medicines (P)	Can be dispensed by a pharmacist at a licensed retail pharmacy
General Sales List (GSL)	Can be freely obtained over the counter

The classification of medicines into these 3 categories is usually based on their perceived safety. In general, medicines that are classified as GSL would mean that their ingredients are generally safe, and can be taken without the supervision of a healthcare professional.

As such, these GSL medications can be bought over the counter.

For Pharmacy-Only medicines (P), they may contain slightly more potent ingredients, which is why they need to be dispensed under the supervision of a pharmacist.

This is mainly to ensure that you do not buy too much of a certain drug, which may have serious effects if you happen to overdose or misuse them!

Lastly, Prescription-Only Medicines (POMs) are considered to be the most ‘dangerous’ of medicines if misused. As such, they can only be dispensed if they are prescribed by a doctor.

Some of these medicines include sleeping pills or opioid drugs, which have serious effects if you overdose on them!

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There is a ‘fourth’ classification: POM with exemption

Some medicines may be classified under ‘POM with exemption‘, which means that these drugs are actually POMs, but can be dispensed by a pharmacist if the patient meets certain criteria:

• Not exceeding a certain strength / dosage
• Is used for the HSA-approved indication for POM with exemption
• Does not exceed the maximum supply (either by number of weeks or weight of the cream)
• The patient’s age is greater than the minimum age

You can view the entire list of POM with exemption drugs on HSA’s website.

Even though these drugs are POM drugs, you can still get them from the pharmacy if you meet the criteria to be exempted without a prescription.

Viewing the forensic classification of a drug

There are 2 main ways that you can view the classification of a drug in Singapore:

1. HSA Therapeutics Product Infosearch
2. Pharmfair

#1 HSA Therapeutics Product Infosearch

On this platform, you can search for any drugs that are registered in Singapore. The 2 main fields that you can play with would be ‘Product Name‘ and ‘Active Ingredient(s)‘.

For the Product Name, this usually refers to the brand name of the drug (e.g. Panadol, Lipitor).

For the Active Ingredient, it will refer to the active ingredient of the drug (e.g. Paracetamol, Atorvastatin).

This platform can be rather confusing as you may enter the brand name into the active ingredient field or vice versa, which may result in an invalid search.

If you would like to find the forensic classification of the medicine, you will have to select the ‘Registration Number‘ of the medicine,

and then look for the ‘Forensic Classification‘ field.

This process is pretty complicated and slow, so it is not one that I would recommend!

#2 Pharmfair

There is another platform called Pharmfair, which was founded by Mr Chew Wei Kean.

This database allows you to easily search for any drug that is registered in Singapore, and you are able to see its forensic classification as well!

I’ve used this a lot when I was studying in NUS pharmacy, as it is a much quicker way to search for medicines that are registered in Singapore.

Now that you’ve got the hang of how medicines are classified in Singapore, let’s go through some types of medicines and see if they can be bought over the counter or not!

Can I buy antibiotics over the counter in Singapore?

All antibiotics are classified as Prescription-Only Medicines (POM) in Singapore, such as doxycycline. This means that you will need to get a prescription from a doctor before it can be dispensed, and you are unable to buy any antibiotics over the counter.

Due to the risk of antibiotic resistance, there are rather strict measures put in place to ensure that they are not misused.

For example, doxycycline capsules are considered as Prescription-Only Medicines.

This also applies to any creams that contain an antibiotic, such as Combiderm (contains Gentamicin).

If you need to get any medicine that contains an antibiotic, you will need to see a doctor to get a prescription first.

Can I buy proton pump inhibitors (e.g. Omeprazole and Nexium) over the counter in Singapore?

There are some proton pump inhibitors like Zenpro which are P only and Nexium which are POM with exemption drugs (maximum supply of 14 days). You are not able to buy these medicines over the counter. Instead, you will need to purchase them under the supervision of a pharmacist.

While certain brands of omeprazole are classified as POMs, Zenpro can be bought as a P only medicine.

Meanwhile, Nexium is a POM with exemption drug, meaning that you are able to buy this drug under the supervision of a pharmacist, for a maximum supply of 2 weeks.

However, this only applies to the 20mg tablet, and not the 40mg one!

Either way, both of these medicines can only be bought from a pharmacist counter, so you can’t buy them over the counter.

Can I buy Famotidine over the counter in Singapore?

Famotidine is a POM with exemption drug (maximum 2 weeks supply), so you can buy this medicine under the supervision of a pharmacist. However, you are unable to buy it over the counter.

Famotidine is one of the medicines that is found in the POM with exemption list.

As such, you can buy a maximum of 14 tablets of famotidine 20mg without requiring a prescription.

Can I buy painkillers over the counter in Singapore?

Painkillers such as naproxen (Aleve 220mg) and ibuprofen (Nurofen 200mg) can be bought over the counter in Singapore. However, other painkillers like diclofenac, mefenamic acid or Anarex are prescription-only medicines that can’t be bought over the counter.

If you are looking to buy painkillers like naproxen and ibuprofen, it is possible to buy the lower strengths over the counter.

However, if you require a higher strength of the medicine, you will need to get a prescription from a doctor as these medicines are POMs.

Other painkillers (e.g. diclofenac, mefenamic acid or Anarex) are POMs and would require a prescription to get them.

However, you are able to purchase Voltaren gel (containing diclofenac) over the counter at a retail pharmacy.

Can I buy Metformin over the counter in Singapore?

Metformin is a prescription-only medicine in Singapore, hence you are unable to buy metformin over the counter.

All metformin tablets are classified as POMs, hence you will need a prescription to purchase them.

Can I buy the morning after pill over the counter in Singapore?

Morning after pills such as Ella or Postinor are prescription-only medications, hence you will need to obtain a prescription from a doctor before you can purchase it if you intend to use it for emergency contraception.

Morning after pills are hormonal pills, hence they carry quite a bit of health risk if they are misused. As such, they are classified as POMs.

It would be advisable to obtain this pill from the doctor within 72 hours after intercourse, as the effectiveness of the pill will decrease after 72 hours!

Can I buy Duphaston over the counter in Singapore?

Duphaston is a prescription-only medicine, hence it cannot be bought over the counter in Singapore.

Can I buy Clomid over the counter in Singapore?

Clomid is a prescription-only medicine, hence it cannot be bought over the counter in Singapore.

Can I buy Ivermectin over the counter in Singapore?

Ivermectin is a prescription-only medicine, hence it cannot be bought over the counter in Singapore.

You may want to note that both the cream and tablet versions of ivermectin are POM drugs!

Can I buy antidepressants over the counter in Singapore?

Antidepressants such as Prozac and Remeron are prescription-only medicines, and they cannot be bought over the counter in Singapore.

Antidepressant drugs can cause rather serious effects if they are not used appropriately, hence you are only able to purchase them if they are prescribed by a doctor.

Can I buy sleeping pills over the counter in Singapore?

Sleeping pills such as Xanax or Imovane are prescription-only drugs in Singapore, hence you are unable to purchase them over the counter in Singapore.

Similar to antidepressants, sleeping pills can be dangerous if they are misused, hence they should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor.

Can I buy Ventolin over the counter in Singapore?

Ventolin inhalers and nebules are prescription-only medicines, hence you will need a prescription to purchase these. However, it is possible to purchase the Ventolin oral liquid or tablets as a P only medicine, which you do not need a prescription for.

Even though all Ventolin products contain the same ingredient (salbutamol), it is interesting to see that you are able to buy the tablets and oral liquid as a P only medicine, while the inhalers are a POM!

Can I buy Melatonin over the counter in Singapore?

Melatonin tablets are able to be bought over the counter in retail pharmacies in Singapore.

There are quite a few melatonin products that can be found in retail pharmacies, so you can ask any of the staff there for recommendations!

Can I buy Aspirin over the counter in Singapore?

Aspirin 100mg tablets can be bought over the counter in Singapore.

The most common brand of aspirin is Cardiprin, which you should be able to buy from most retail pharmacies.

Can I buy Losartan over the counter in Singapore?

Losartan is a prescription-only medicine, and you can only purchase them with a doctor’s prescription in Singapore.

Can I buy Colchicine over the counter in Singapore?

Colchicine is a prescription-only medicine, and you are unable to buy it over the counter at retail pharmacies in Singapore.

Can I buy Cialis or Viagra over the counter in Singapore?

Both Cialis and Viagra are prescription-only medicines in Singapore, and you are unable to purchase them over the counter at retail pharmacies.

There are quite a few risks if you happen to overdose on either of these medicines, so they can only be dispensed if it is prescribed by a doctor.

Conclusion

In Singapore, there are 3 main forensic classifications of medicines: Prescription-Only Medicines (POM), Pharmacy-Only Medicines (P) and General Sales List (GSL or over the counter).

There is a 4th classification known as POM with exemption, where you are able to buy some medicines without a prescription if you meet certain criteria.

You are able to check the classification of these medicines on either the HSA Infosearch platform, or on Pharmfair.

I would prefer using Pharmfair as you can see the classification right away, and it loads much faster!

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