Research
Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 for Bladder Health: Evidence, Interactions and Cautions
Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 is an ingredient used in bladder supplements marketed to women. Below is what it has actually been studied for, how strong that evidence is, the drug interactions and cautions on record, and the primary source our grade rests on — all drawn from the HerWellReport ingredient dataset.
Also sold as: L. reuteri RC-14; RC-14; usually sold paired with L. rhamnosus GR-1
What the evidence says about Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14
RC-14 has no meaningful trial evidence of its own for bladder outcomes: it is studied as half of the GR-1/RC-14 oral capsule. In the 2015 Cochrane review that pairing was compared with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in postmenopausal women over 12 months with no significant difference (RR 1.12, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.33), while the review's overall probiotic-versus-placebo result was RR 0.82 (95% CI 0.60 to 1.12) across 9 studies and 735 participants, all low quality. NCCIH summarises the same review as finding no evidence of a beneficial effect. Marketing that treats RC-14 as a proven bladder ingredient is running well ahead of the data.
The grade "limited" means: limited — One or two small human trials, or trials for a closely related outcome. Grades are explained in full on our methodology page.
Read the primary source this grade rests on (opens in a new tab).
Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 drug interactions
No documented drug interactions in the sources we checked. That is not the same as proof of safety alongside your medication — it usually means the question has not been studied. Ask a pharmacist before combining it with prescription drugs.
Who should be careful with Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14
- Avoid if you are severely ill or immunocompromised: NCCIH reports infections and other serious harms are more likely in those groups
- some probiotic products have been found to contain organisms other than those on the label
Read more on HerWellReport
- Do Probiotics Actually Help Bladder Health?
- 65 Ingredients, None Proven: What Is Actually Inside the Supplements Sold to Women (2026)
- FemiCore vs AZO Bladder Control: Ingredients, Price and Guarantee Compared
- Is It Normal to Pee Every Hour? What Counts as Normal Urinary Frequency
- MenoRescue vs Provitalize: Ingredients, Price and Guarantee Compared
This entry is generated from row "Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14" of the HerWellReport ingredient dataset (v2.1, updated 2026-09-23). The dataset is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 — how to cite it. Ingredient evidence is not evidence for any finished product, and nothing here is medical advice.