Emergency Hormonal Contraception (morning after pill) can be used to prevent unplanned pregnancy.

An unplanned pregnancy could occur due to mishaps with contraceptives, a missed pill, incorrect timing of patch or vaginal ring application.

Emergency contraception is not suitable as a regular method of contraception and it does not prevent pregnancy in every woman. It can be used by women of all ages to prevent unplanned pregnancy.

Emergency contraception is most effective if taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex.

However, if you are already pregnant, emergency contraceptive pills will not work.

Medical card holders can get emergency contraception directly from a pharmacy, free of charge, without having to go to their GP for a prescription.

Emergency contraception does not provide protection from sexually transmitted infections.

Our compassionate pharmacists provide access to emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) following a private consultation.

Seasonal flu or influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by flu viruses which circulate in all parts of the world.

Seasonal flu symptoms include a high temperature, a severe (usually dry) cough, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, sore throat, and a runny nose. A person with the flu will also feel extremely unwell.

Most people recover from the symptoms within a week or two without requiring medical attention. But flu can cause severe illness or death especially in people at high risk (see below).

Illnesses range from mild to severe and even death. Hospitalisation and death occur mainly among high risk groups.

The most effective way to prevent the flu is get vaccinated. An annual vaccination is recommended as immunity decreases over time. The flu vaccine can be administered as an injection or using an intra-nasal spray.

While everyone should consider getting a flu vaccine, it is especially important that the following groups get vaccinated:

• Persons aged 65 years and older.
• Persons with a chronic illness requiring regular follow up, e.g. chronic respiratory disease (including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, moderate or severe asthma and bronchopulmonary dysplasia), chronic heart disease (including acute coronary syndrome), chronic renal disease, diabetes mellitus, haemoglobinopathies, chronic liver disease, chronic neurological disease (including multiple sclerosis, hereditary and degenerative disorders of the central nervous system).
• Those who are immunosuppressed due to disease or treatment including those with missing or non-functioning spleens.
• All cancer patients.
• Patients with any condition that can compromise respiratory function, e.g. spinal cord injury, seizure disorder or other neuromuscular disorder.
• Persons with Down syndrome.
• Those with morbid obesity, i.e. body mass index over 40.
• All pregnant women (vaccine can be given at any stage of pregnancy).
• Healthcare workers.
• Household contacts of at-risk persons.
• Out-of-home care givers to at-risk persons.
• Residents of nursing homes and other long stay institutions.
• Carers.
• People with regular contact with pigs, poultry, or waterfowl.

Our Medication Usage Review is a pre-booked consultation to discuss your medicines (prescribed and non-prescribed). The review helps increase your knowledge and understanding of your medicines, including how and why the medicines should be taken.

Our aim is to improve outcomes by helping you to better understand your health conditions and the medications used to manage them.

The review also provides an opportunity to highlight any issues, side effects or other medication-related problems and propose solutions if appropriate.

This review can be especially helpful for people who are older, have several chronic conditions, take multiple medications, have been using a specific medication over a longer period or are seen by multiple doctors.

Every year in Ireland, nearly 6,000 people die because of smoking with many more suffering from smoking related diseases. The HSE estimates that 1,000 people are admitted to hospital every week with an illness caused by smoking.

In our pharmacy, we help smokers break nicotine addiction by recommending Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). NRT comes in many different forms including patches and gums. It is important that the right option is chosen to suit individual needs.

Evidence has shown that if a smoker participates in a smoking cessation service that combines advice, support, and Nicotine Replacement Therapy that the smoker is 4 times more likely to quit compared to using willpower alone.

Viagra Connect is a medicine for adult men living with erectile dysfunction (ED). The purpose of the consultation is to ensure Viagra Connect is safe and suitable for you. How does Viagra Connect work? Viagra Connect contains 50mg of the active ingredient sildenafil. Sildenafil relaxes blood vessels to help increase blood flow to the penis helping a man get and maintain an erection. It will not give you an instant erection, requires sexual arousal and can take between 30 minutes to an hour to work. Who is Viagra Connect suitable for? Viagra Connect is for men aged 18 or over who have erectile dysfunction symptoms. It’s for men who are fit enough to have sex, but unable to get or maintain an erection hard enough for sexual intercourse. During your consultation, we will check if Viagra Connect is suitable by asking you a few questions related to your health and any medication you may be taking. Viagra Connect is not suitable for:

• Men under the age of 18
• Men who do not have erectile dysfunction
• Men living with certain health problems
• Men taking certain medications
• Women

How can I buy Viagra Connect? You can buy Viagra Connect in our pharmacy once you complete a consultation. Does my GP need to know I'm using Viagra Connect? If Viagra Connect is suitable for you, we recommend you speak to your GP within six months of getting your first supply. Are there any side effects when using Viagra Connect? Some people may experience side effects when taking Viagra Connect including:

• Headaches
• Hot flushes
• Dizziness
• A blocked nose
• Indigestion
• Nausea
• An upset stomach
• Changes to your vision

Taking Viagra Connect Take one Viagra Connect 50mg tablet with water approximately one hour before sex. Your erection will subside after you’ve had sex. Please note:

• You can only take one 50mg tablet per day.
• If you do have a constant and painful erection that lasts for over four hours, please seek urgent medical help.