Drug & supplement interaction

Citronella Oil + Bethanechol Chloride

Bethanechol Chloride brand name: Urecholine.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Citronella Oil and Bethanechol Chloride in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Bethanechol Chloride states a food rule worth keeping to.

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Interaction report

Citronella Oil and Bethanechol Chloride

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Bethanechol Chloride and Citronella Oil in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Citronella Oil at all — not against Bethanechol Chloride, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Citronella Oil safety at a glance

Citronella Oil overall Use caution Generally safe for topical and aromatic use, but it can irritate skin and should never be swallowed.
Pregnancy Use caution Limited safety data; use only sparingly on skin or in the air and check with your doctor first.
Breastfeeding Use caution Not well studied; avoid applying near the breast and consult your doctor before use.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Bethanechol Chloride and Citronella Oil? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Citronella Oil Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Bethanechol Chloride. It is the side-effect record for Citronella Oil on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Citronella Oil, this list is the first place to look.

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    “Topically, citronella oil is thought to be a skin sensitizer and can potentially cause contact dermatitis. Applying citronella oil 100% to the skin causes irritation or a burning sensation in about 12% of people.”

    Citronella Oil · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    2 sources cited
    1. 13084. Public Health Agency of Canada. Safety Tips on Using Personal Insect Repellents Available at: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/wn-no/repellents-insectifuge_e.html. (Accessed 24 May 2005)
    2. 97274. Sajo ME, Song SB, Bajgai J, et al. Applicability of citronella oil (Cymbopogon winteratus) for the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases in the rural area of Tikapur, far-western Nepal. Rural Remote Health 2015;15(4):3532. Epub 2015 Nov 12. DOI

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Citronella Oil — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Bethanechol Chloride’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Bethanechol Chloride column appears here.

How to take them

Some Bethanechol Chloride Products Have a Food Rule — Citronella Oil Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Bethanechol Chloride says to take it with food. If you take Citronella Oil on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Bethanechol Chloride with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Bethanechol Chloride products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

If taken soon after eating, nausea and vomiting may occur.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Bethanechol Chloride — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. See the Bethanechol Chloride drug page ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Bethanechol Chloride

This page covers Citronella Oil only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Bethanechol Chloride page lists 38 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Bacopa (moderate), Bael (moderate), Betel Nut (moderate) and Boxwood (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 27 moderate · 10 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Bethanechol Chloride page

“Anyone taking bethanechol chloride (Urecholine) for urinary retention should read this list carefully, starting with activated charcoal, the lone major-rated entry among the 38 ingredients here. Charcoal can bind bethanechol in the gut and sharply cut how much reaches your system, a real problem for a drug that has to get a sluggish bl…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Bethanechol Chloride interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Citronella Oil and Bethanechol Chloride Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Citronella Oil
Steady interest

#1,037 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Bethanechol Chloride
Steady interest

#2,505 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Citronella Oil reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Citronella Oil and Bethanechol Chloride records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Citronella Oil

What is Citronella Oil?

  • Insect and mosquito repellent
  • Aromatherapy and relaxation
  • Topical antimicrobial
  • Fragrance in soaps and household products
  • Skin and hair care products

Citronella oil is an essential oil made from a tropical grass and is best known as a natural insect repellent. Some evidence supports short-term mosquito protection, but it usually does not last as long as conventional repellents like DEET. It is meant for skin or air use, not for swallowing, and can irritate sensitive skin.

Cymbopogon nardus · Poaceae · Leaves and grass (steam-distilled essential oil) · Essential oil, sprays, lotions, candles, diffuser oil

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Citronella Oil is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Citronella Oil record says about it on its own.

Citronella Oil: dosing

There is no official standardized dose for citronella oil. For skin use, it is usually diluted with a carrier oil (such as coconut or almond oil) in commercial repellent products. For aromatherapy, a few drops are added to a diffuser or warm water.Because product strengths vary widely, the best approach is to follow the directions on the label and reapply repellent products as instructed.

From our Citronella Oil monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Citronella Oil monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Bethanechol

What Is Bethanechol Used For?

Brand name: Urecholine

Bethanechol Chloride Tablets are used to treat urinary retention — when the bladder holds urine but can't release it properly — in two specific situations: after surgery or childbirth (acute postoperative or postpartum nonobstructive urinary retention), and when weak bladder muscle caused by nerve problems (neurogenic atony) prevents normal emptying.

These are functional problems, meaning there's no physical blockage — the bladder simply isn't contracting the way it should.

See full Bethanechol drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Citronella Oil

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Citronella Oil — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Citronella Oil References

The 5 references that drive our Citronella Oil monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
  2. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  3. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
  4. Public Health Agency of Canada. Safety Tips on Using Personal Insect Repellents Available at: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/wn-no/repellents-insectifuge_e.html. (Accessed 24 May 2005)
  5. Sajo ME, Song SB, Bajgai J, et al. Applicability of citronella oil (Cymbopogon winteratus) for the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases in the rural area of Tikapur, far-western Nepal. Rural Remote Health 2015;15(4):3532. Epub 2015 Nov 12. DOI

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Citronella Oil and Bethanechol Chloride Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Citronella Oil with Bethanechol Chloride?
We do not list a known interaction between Citronella Oil and Bethanechol Chloride. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Should I take Citronella Oil and Bethanechol Chloride at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Bethanechol Chloride says to take it with food. If you take Citronella Oil on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Bethanechol Chloride with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Bethanechol Chloride products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Does Bethanechol Chloride interact with any supplements?
Yes. Bethanechol Chloride has documented interactions with 38 supplements in our database — Citronella Oil is not one of them. The Bethanechol Chloride interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Bethanechol Chloride and Citronella Oil?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.