You can visit your local pharmacy if you feel unwell. Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals.
They can give you:
- medicines you can buy without a prescription
- medicines you have a prescription for
- advice on minor illnesses, and can tell you if you need to see a GP
They can also tell you how to take your medicines correctly.
Find a pharmacy
Find contact details for your local pharmacy
Visiting the pharmacy
Many pharmacies are open late and on weekends. During the COVID-19 pandemic, numbers may be limited inside pharmacies. You may have to wait outside. You can call before you go to the pharmacy with any questions.
Do not visit your pharmacy if you have:
- a temperature over 38 degrees Celsius
- a cough
- breathlessness
- loss or change to sense of smell or taste
- traveled abroad and are self-isolating
- been a close contact of someone with COVID-19
Ask someone to collect your medicines for you. Some pharmacies will deliver medicines to your home.
Services
Services available in your local pharmacy include:
Vaccines
Many pharmacists are now giving COVID-19 vaccines. You have to call them to make an appointment.
Find a pharmacy that is giving COVID-19 vaccines
Every autumn and winter, pharmacists give people the flu vaccine. Everyone over 65 should get the flu vaccine each year.
Medicines without a prescription
Pharmacists can give you treatments for common conditions without a prescription, such as:
- colds
- pain relief
- temperatures
- hay fever
- rashes
- warts
Do not visit your pharmacist if you have symptoms of COVID-19.
Morning after pill
Pharmacists can give you the morning after pill (emergency contraception).
You can talk to the pharmacist privately in a consultation room. They’ll ask about your last period and other medicines. They'll tell you how to take it correctly.
Repeat prescriptions
When your GP prescribes medicine for you, they can sometimes make this a repeat prescription with your local pharmacy.
You can order your repeat prescription by calling the pharmacy. It will be ready for you to collect when you need to get more medicine. This saves you a trip to the GP when your medicine runs out.
Blood pressure monitoring
Your pharmacist can check your blood pressure between your GP appointments.
Schemes
There are some HSE schemes that can help with pharmacy costs:
