How prescriptions work in Ireland

Who can prescribe in Ireland

A prescription is a written or electronic instruction that allows a pharmacist to supply a prescription-only medicine. In Ireland, prescriptions can be written by:

• registered doctors, including GPs and hospital doctors
• dentists, for dental treatment
• registered nurse and midwife prescribers, within their area of practice
• pharmacists, for a short list of common conditions under the Common Conditions Service (see below)

Whoever prescribes is responsible for deciding that the medicine is right for you, explaining how to take it and arranging any monitoring it needs.

How long a prescription lasts

Since 1 March 2024, a prescriber can write a prescription that is valid for up to 12 months if they judge that safe and appropriate. Before that, the limit was six months. Your doctor still decides how long to prescribe for. Many prescriptions, especially for new medicines, are written for a shorter period so your treatment can be reviewed.

Some medicines have stricter legal limits. Controlled drugs, such as strong painkillers, some sleeping tablets and medicines for ADHD, cannot be prescribed for long periods and have extra rules about how the prescription is written and dispensed.

Pharmacist prescription extensions

Since 1 September 2024, pharmacists can extend some prescriptions. According to the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland:

• the prescription must have been written for six months or more, and dated on or after 1 March 2024
• the pharmacist can extend it by between one and six months, up to a maximum total of 12 months
• they cannot extend a prescription marked "do not extend", or one already written for 12 months
• controlled drugs and some other medicines are excluded
• it is not automatic: the pharmacist must decide it is safe, and must tell your prescriber within seven days

An extension can save you an appointment, but it does not replace a proper review of your medicines. Your GP may still want to see you, check blood tests or adjust your treatment.

Repeat prescriptions

If you take a medicine long term, your GP may give you repeat prescriptions so you do not need a full appointment every time. Each practice has its own system. Some take requests online or by phone, and some charge a small fee for repeats issued without an appointment.

Repeats depend on regular reviews. Your doctor needs to check the medicine is still working, still safe with anything else you take, and still the right dose. For some medicines this includes blood tests or blood pressure checks. If a review is overdue, the practice may ask you to come in before issuing more.

Plan ahead so you do not run out, particularly before holidays and bank holidays. GP out-of-hours services are for urgent medical problems, and the HSE says they are not for repeat prescriptions.

How a prescription reaches the pharmacy

You can still get a paper prescription to take to any pharmacy. Many GPs now send prescriptions directly to the pharmacy you choose using Healthmail, the HSE's secure clinical email system, so there is nothing to collect. Prescriptions sent by ordinary email or other unsecured routes are not accepted.

It helps to use the same pharmacy regularly. Your pharmacist can then keep a record of everything you take, spot interactions and help you register for schemes such as the Drugs Payment Scheme.

What you pay at the pharmacy

Your pharmacist may offer a generic medicine that the Health Products Regulatory Authority has listed as interchangeable with the brand on your prescription. It works in the same way and often costs less. Prescribed medicines also count towards tax relief on health expenses. Read more in our guide to private GP costs in Ireland.

When a pharmacist can prescribe

Under the Common Conditions Service, introduced in late 2025 and now offered by most pharmacies, pharmacists can assess you and, where appropriate, prescribe certain prescription-only medicines for eight conditions:

• allergic rhinitis (hay fever)
• cold sores
• infective conjunctivitis
• impetigo
• oral thrush
• shingles
• uncomplicated urinary tract infection (cystitis) in women aged 16 to 64
• vaginal thrush

Each condition has age limits and other criteria set out in HSE protocols, and the pharmacist will refer you to a GP if you fall outside them. The pharmacist charges a fee for the consultation, including to medical card holders, and tells you the cost first. Sore throat and tonsillitis are not part of the service. See UTI symptoms: when to see a GP and sore throat: when to see a GP.

Prescriptions after an online consultation

A doctor can prescribe after a video or phone consultation when it is safe to do so. The prescription is usually sent securely to your chosen pharmacy. Remote prescribing suits many short-term treatments and reviews of medicines you already take.

Some medicines are rarely suitable to start remotely, such as controlled drugs, medicines that need close monitoring and treatments that depend on an examination. A responsible doctor will explain if this applies to you. Our UK doctors have written more about what a private GP can and cannot prescribe.