Pharmacy questions, answered

Straight answers to the questions we hear most at the counter.

Try flu vaccine, HRT or Mounjaro

Most asked

What you pay, what is covered and the schemes that cap your costs.

What does a medical card cover at the pharmacy?
The €1.50 charge, the €15 family cap and what is not covered.
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The Drug Payment Scheme explained
No household pays more than €80 a month, and there is no means test.
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Is the morning after pill free in Ireland?
Free for ages 17 to 35 and medical card holders, plus timing and how it works.
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Is HRT free in Ireland?
What the scheme covers and the three steps to get it.
Is ear wax removal covered by the medical card or insurance?
What the medical card and health insurers cover, plus tax relief and receipts.
Could the HSE soon pay for weight loss injections?
Where the funding review stands, who might qualify and what it costs today.
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Walk-in care in our private consultation room, and what needs a prescription.

Can a pharmacist prescribe antibiotics?
Yes, for 8 walk-in conditions including UTIs and conjunctivitis.
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Our walk-in Common Conditions Service
Assessed and treated in our private consultation room for €35.
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Do I need a prescription for that?
Viagra, codeine, inhalers, weight loss injections and more.
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Cystitis or a UTI: when can your pharmacist help?
How to tell it from thrush, and what the research says on cranberry.
Verruca: salicylic acid, freezing or leave it?
How the three options compare, and when to see your GP instead.
Micro-suction or ear syringing: what is the difference?
How each method works and how to prepare for ear wax removal.
Viagra and the other ED treatments, explained
Viagra, Cialis, Levitra and Spedra compared on speed, duration and food.

Timing, combinations, missed doses and caring for a child with a fever.

Can you take paracetamol and ibuprofen together?
Yes for most adults. How to space the doses, plus the rules for children.
Can you drink alcohol on antibiotics?
It depends entirely on which antibiotic you are taking.
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With food or without? And missed doses
Why timing matters, and the missed dose rule.
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Child with a fever? A calm guide for parents
What counts as a fever, keeping them comfortable and when to see a doctor.

Flu season first, then winter skin, vitamin D, school and pollen season.

Flu vaccine: who gets it free?
Ages 60 and over, children 2 to 17, pregnancy and long-term conditions.
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Book your flu vaccine with us
Our 2026/27 flu vaccine service in Portlaoise, with the booking form.
Cold, flu or Covid?
How to tell them apart, and the warning signs.
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Which cough medicine actually works?
Dry, chesty or tickly: match the remedy to the cough.
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Vitamin D through the Irish winter
How much you need at each age, and why winter leaves us short.
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Which moisturiser suits your skin?
Dry, sensitive, oily or eczema prone: find a match in 30 seconds.
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Back to school health checklist
The 8 things every family press should hold by September.
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Hay fever treatment guide
What works, in what order, for Irish pollen season.

Weight loss medicines explained, with Irish availability and prices.

Ozempic vs Wegovy vs Mounjaro
Same molecule? Different doses? A full comparison with Irish prices.
Mounjaro at Laois Pharmacy: prices and how to start
Our prices by dose, the consultation and how to get started.
Our Weight Management Service
Same-day dispensing from stock and monthly support.
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The Wegovy pill is approved in Europe: what does it mean for Ireland?
The tablet was approved in the EU in July 2026. How it is taken and when it may arrive.
What to eat on Ozempic or Mounjaro
Protein targets, settling nausea and the nutrients to keep an eye on.
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Keeping the weight off afterwards
What people who keep it off do differently.
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The weight loss pill: what it means for Ireland
Orforglipron (Foundayo) is available in the US. When might the tablet reach Ireland?
Retatrutide: the ‘triple G’ explained
Up to 25% weight loss in trials. What it is and when Ireland might see it.

Answer a few quick questions and see what applies to you.

PSI-registered. Serving Portlaoise since 1987.

Our pharmacists are happy to help. No appointment needed.

Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday 9.30am to 6pm. In an emergency, call 112 or 999.