Stona is a brand of over-the-counter cold and flu medication made by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Sato Pharmaceutical. The product line includes tablets, capsules, gel capsules, and syrups designed to relieve common cold symptoms like congestion, cough, sore throat, and fever. If you came across the name on a medicine package or while searching for cold relief options, this is what you need to know.
It’s also worth noting that “stona” is sometimes a misspelling of “stoma,” which is a completely different medical term referring to a surgically created opening in the body. If that’s what you were looking for, there’s a section on that below.
What Stona Medications Treat
Stona products are multi-symptom cold medicines. A single dose targets several symptoms at once: nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, cough, sore throat, minor aches and pains, headache, sinus pressure, and fever. Some versions, like Stona Gel Sinus EX, also address joint pain, muscle pain, and chills. The Stona line also includes a product called Stonarhini, which focuses specifically on nasal symptoms like congestion and a runny nose.
Because these products combine multiple active ingredients in one pill, they work best when you have several cold symptoms happening at the same time. If you only have a headache or only have congestion, a single-ingredient product would be a simpler choice.
How Stona Works
Most Stona products combine four types of ingredients, each handling a different symptom. The standard Stona tablet, for example, contains acetaminophen (162.5 mg per tablet) to reduce pain and fever, an antihistamine to dry up a runny nose and stop sneezing, a cough suppressant to calm throat and bronchial irritation, and a nasal decongestant to open up blocked sinuses.
The nasal-focused product, Stonarhini, uses a simpler two-ingredient formula: an antihistamine at 2 mg per tablet and a nasal decongestant at 5 mg per tablet. The antihistamine blocks the chemical your body releases during allergic reactions and colds, which reduces sneezing, itching, and a runny nose. The decongestant shrinks swollen blood vessels in your nasal passages so air can move through more freely.
Dosage for Adults
For the capsule version (Stona-S), adults and children 12 and older take 2 capsules every 4 hours while symptoms last. The maximum is 6 doses, or 12 capsules, in a 24-hour period. Going beyond that limit risks serious liver damage because of the acetaminophen content.
This is an important detail if you’re taking any other medications. Many common painkillers, cold medicines, and even some prescription drugs also contain acetaminophen. Stacking them with Stona can push you past safe acetaminophen levels without realizing it. Check the labels of everything you’re taking, or ask a pharmacist if you’re unsure.
Who Should Be Cautious
Stona products are not a good fit for everyone. The antihistamine ingredient can cause significant drowsiness, and that effect gets stronger if you’re also taking sedatives or tranquilizers. In children, the same ingredient can have the opposite effect, causing excitability instead of sleepiness.
People with certain health conditions should check with a doctor before using Stona. These include liver disease (because of the acetaminophen), glaucoma, and chronic breathing problems like chronic bronchitis. You should also avoid Stona if you take a type of antidepressant known as an MAOI, or have stopped taking one within the past two weeks. Combining the two can cause a dangerous interaction. The same caution applies if you take blood-thinning medications like warfarin.
If You Searched for “Stoma” Instead
A stoma is something entirely different from Stona medication. It’s a surgically created opening in the abdomen that allows the intestine to connect directly to the outside of the body. Surgeons create a stoma during ostomy surgery, typically when part of the bowel is diseased or damaged and waste can no longer pass through the body the usual way. Instead, intestinal contents exit through this opening into an external pouch worn against the skin.
Stomas are created from either the large intestine or the small intestine, depending on the underlying condition. Common reasons for ostomy surgery include colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and severe abdominal injuries. The stoma itself looks like a small, round piece of pink tissue on the surface of the abdomen. It’s a permanent change for some people and temporary for others, depending on whether the remaining bowel can eventually be reconnected.