Oxytocin Nasal Spray
The love hormone, for couples. Oxytocin is the hormone your brain releases with touch, hugging, sex and orgasm, which is why it’s called the love or bonding hormone. Many couples are curious whether it can help them feel closer, so each partner can have their own visit and their own prescription. This compounded spray delivers oxytocin through the nose, the way most research has given it. That research is early and mixed, and no oxytocin nasal spray is FDA-approved.
- For couples: each partner has their own visit
- For women and men
- Sprayed into the nose, 40 units / mL
- Not FDA-approved
Nasal spray · from $69/mo. Prices are preliminary.
How to use it
- Before the first use, prime the pump with a few sprays into the air.
- Gently blow your nose, tilt your head slightly forward, and spray into each nostril as your provider directs. Breathe in gently.
- Store it as the pharmacy label says, usually in the refrigerator, and message your care team anytime about your dose.
- Form
- Nasal spray, metered pump
- Strength
- 40 units / mL; your provider sets how many sprays
- Typical use
- As needed, as your provider directs; in research, 30 to 50 minutes before time together
- Who it’s for
- Adults, women and men
- Storage
- As the pharmacy label says, usually in the refrigerator
What’s inside
- Oxytocin (40 units / mL): A hormone made in the brain and released during touch, sex, childbirth and breastfeeding. It plays a part in bonding and trust, and in labor and the let-down of breast milk. As a medicine, it’s FDA-approved only as an injection, given in a hospital during and after childbirth.
What the research shows, and doesn’t
In couples: in a lab study of 47 couples, those given an oxytocin spray before discussing a disagreement were warmer with each other and had lower stress hormones. In 29 couples who used a spray before sex at home, desire, arousal and erections didn’t change, though some ratings about the time after sex did. In a trial of 30 women with sexual concerns, sexual function improved over 8 weeks of a spray, but just as much on a placebo spray. Many oxytocin studies were small, and some findings haven’t held up. In the largest trial that added an oxytocin spray to 12 weeks of couples therapy, relationships didn’t improve more than with a placebo spray. No study has tested Oxytocin Nasal Spray itself.
Studies: Ditzen 2009, Biol Psychiatry 65(9):728-31 (PubMed 19027101): 47 heterosexual couples, 40 IU intranasal oxytocin or placebo before a discussion of a conflict, in a lab; more positive relative to negative communication and lower cortisol on oxytocin. A single lab session, not a treatment course. Behnia 2014, Horm Behav 65(3):308-18 (PubMed 24503174): 29 heterosexual couples, 24 IU before sex at home; no change in drive, arousal, erection or lubrication; effects only in the orgasm and after-sex period and in partner-interaction ratings. Muin 2015, Fertil Steril (PubMed 26151620): 30 pre- and postmenopausal women with sexual dysfunction, 32 IU intranasal oxytocin or placebo within 50 minutes before sex, 8-week crossover; FSFI +26% on oxytocin vs +31% on placebo, no treatment effect. Flanagan 2025, J Clin Psychiatry (PubMed 40392716; NCT03846505): 96 dyads in Alcohol Behavioral Couple Therapy, 40 IU 30 minutes before each of 12 weekly sessions, both partners; safe and tolerable, no added benefit on drinking or relationship functioning. Sippel 2023 (PubMed 36931134): uncontrolled pilot, 10 couples, 40 IU before 8 conjoint PTSD sessions; the placebo-controlled trial (NCT06194851) has not reported. Walum, Waldman & Young 2016, Biol Psychiatry 79:251-7: many intranasal oxytocin studies are underpowered, so some positive findings may not be true effects.
What to expect
- First uses
- Some people notice a mild headache, a stuffy or runny nose, or nasal irritation. These usually pass.
- First month
- Your provider checks in on how it’s going and can change the dose or timing.
- Ongoing
- Refills ship on your schedule, in discreet packaging.
Important safety information
Before you start
Your provider reviews your health history, medicines and allergies before prescribing, and prescribes only if it’s right for you. Tell your care team about any side effect, and get emergency care for chest pain, trouble breathing, or swelling of the face, lips or throat.
Side effects, and when to get help
In research with oxytocin sprays, side effects were no more common than with a placebo. The most common were a mild headache, light dizziness and nasal irritation. Stop and get care right away for confusion, a bad headache with nausea or vomiting, a seizure, fainting, a racing or uneven heartbeat, or swelling of the lips, face or throat.
Rules that keep it safe
Take only what’s prescribed: very large amounts make the body hold on to water, which can lower the sodium in your blood, so don’t drink unusually large amounts around a dose. Don’t take it if you could be pregnant. Don’t stack it with Melt for Women or any other oxytocin unless your clinician says so. It’s for you alone: never give it to anyone else, and never to someone without their knowledge.
Is it FDA-approved?
No. Oxytocin is FDA-approved only as an injection, given in a hospital to start or strengthen labor and to control bleeding after birth. This spray is compounded: prepared by a licensed pharmacy for you, and not reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality. Using oxytocin for closeness or sex is off-label.
About Oxytocin Nasal Spray
What is oxytocin?
A hormone your brain makes and releases into your blood and brain. Levels rise with touch, hugging, sex and orgasm, and during childbirth and breastfeeding, which is why it’s often called the bonding or love hormone. Researchers have linked it with trust, closeness and how we read other people.
What does the research show?
It’s early, and most studies are small. In a lab study of 47 couples, those given an oxytocin spray before talking through a disagreement were warmer with each other. In 29 couples who used a spray before sex, desire, arousal and erections didn’t change. In the largest trial that added an oxytocin spray to 12 weeks of couples therapy (96 couples), relationships didn’t improve more than with a placebo spray. Your provider can talk through whether it makes sense for you.
Can my partner and I both use it?
Yes, if it’s right for each of you. Each partner does their own online visit, a provider decides for each of you, and each prescription is only for the person it’s written for, so it can’t be shared. Your answers stay private from each other.
When do people use it?
In research, people used it 30 to 50 minutes before time together, a conversation or a therapy session, usually as needed rather than every day. In one study, a daily dose’s effects faded after a couple of weeks. Your provider sets your dose and timing; more isn’t better.
Nasal spray or troche: which should I choose?
Most oxytocin research used a nasal spray, which is absorbed through the lining of the nose. A troche dissolves in your mouth, where less reaches the blood and the amount varies a lot from person to person. Your provider helps you choose.
How is this different from Melt for Women?
Melt for Women combines tadalafil with oxytocin in a film, for arousal in women. This is oxytocin on its own, for women and men. Don’t use them together unless your provider says so.
Is it FDA-approved?
No. Oxytocin is FDA-approved only as an injection, given in a hospital to start or strengthen labor and to control bleeding after birth. This spray is compounded: prepared by a licensed pharmacy for you, and not reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality.