Oxytocin Liquid Spray

Graded B: large randomized trials of intranasal oxytocin exist (including a 290-child autism trial), mostly finding no benefit, and a US nasal product (Syntocinon) was approved until its withdrawal in 1997 after marketing stopped.

Strengths: 10 mg in 10 mL (1 mg/mL)
Also known as: Oxytocin acetate, Syntocinon (former nasal brand), Pitocin (approved US hospital brand)
Contains: Oxytocin
Molecule: 9-amino-acid peptide hormone
Formula: C43H66N12O12S2
Mol. weight: 1007.19 g/mol
CAS: 50-56-6
Sequence: Cys-Tyr-Ile-Gln-Asn-Cys-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2 (disulfide bridge)

Origin

Oxytocin is a natural hormone involved in labor, breastfeeding and social bonding. A nasal brand, Syntocinon, was FDA-approved until Novartis stopped marketing it and approval was withdrawn in 1997; a German nasal product was withdrawn in 2008.

How it works

Oxytocin acts on oxytocin receptors in the uterus, breast and brain. How much intranasal oxytocin reaches the brain is still debated, and blood levels do not predict spinal-fluid levels.

What the research shows

The nasal route is the most-studied way oxytocin has been given outside hospitals. Larger, well-run trials of oxytocin spray for autism, social skills and weight loss have mostly found no benefit over placebo. Lactation trials with the old Syntocinon spray had conflicting results, and current lactation references say a benefit has not been clearly shown.

Key studies

Fewtrell et al., 2006 (via Drugs.com summary) 51-mother lactation trial found no significant difference with nasal oxytocin.
Striepens et al., 2013 (via Wikipedia) Spinal-fluid levels rose only after about 75 minutes and did not track blood levels.

Safety findings

Oxytocin carries a labeled risk of water retention and dangerously low sodium (headache, nausea, confusion). Nasal trials reported irritation, nosebleed and headache near placebo rates, and some pilot participants showed QTc prolongation. It causes uterine contractions, so pregnancy is a clear concern.

Regulatory status

Oxytocin is FDA-approved as Pitocin and generics for hospital obstetric use; no nasal product is approved in the US now. As a component of an approved drug, it can be compounded by a 503A pharmacy with a prescription; research bottles are not compounded medicines. Not named on the 2026 WADA List.

Catalog notes

Offered as 10 mg in 10 mL. No certificate is published yet, and the potency in USP units, salt form, carrier and preservative are not listed.