Can pharmacists prescribe antibiotics in Ireland? What changed and where the line sits
Yes, for a short list of conditions. A chest infection, a sore throat or an earache still needs a doctor.
Can pharmacists prescribe antibiotics in Ireland? Yes, but only inside the HSE-backed Common Conditions Service. A trained pharmacist in a participating pharmacy can assess you and prescribe for eight conditions: hay fever, cold sores, conjunctivitis, impetigo, oral thrush, shingles, uncomplicated cystitis and vaginal thrush. Three of these can involve an antibiotic: cystitis, impetigo and bacterial conjunctivitis. Everything else that might need an antibiotic, from a chest infection to tonsillitis, still goes to a GP. Each condition has an age limit, the pharmacy charges a consultation fee even if you have a medical card, and recurring problems are sent back to your doctor.
Common Conditions Service
What pharmacists can prescribe in Ireland now
Before this service, prescription-only treatment for any of these conditions meant a GP visit.
That changed with a set of regulations made in 2025 under the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024. Pharmacies had to sign up by 1 December 2025 and be delivering the service by 31 March 2026, with a Government public awareness campaign planned for January and February 2026. Pharmacists who provide it must first complete mandatory training set by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI), the pharmacy regulator.
The list covers minor, often self-limiting conditions, each with its own age band:
- Hay fever (allergic rhinitis) and allergic conjunctivitis: age 2 and over.
- Infective conjunctivitis: age 6 months and over.
- Cold sores and oral thrush: age 1 month and over.
- Impetigo: age 2 months and over.
- Shingles: age 18 and over.
- Cystitis (uncomplicated urinary tract infection): women aged 16 to 64.
- Vaginal thrush: age 16 to 60.
Outside those bands, or if the condition keeps coming back, the pharmacist can still advise you but will point you to a GP. Some pharmacies take walk-ins; others book appointments.
Sources: HSE, Common Conditions Service, PSI, Common Conditions Service and Law Society Gazette, 17 November 2025. Accessed 17 September 2026.
Where the line sits
Can pharmacists prescribe antibiotics in Ireland for any infection?
No. The antibiotic part of the service covers three conditions, and even then an antibiotic is not automatic.
- Cystitis: a GP or pharmacist may prescribe antibiotics. The HSE notes many mild cases clear on their own within a few days.
- Impetigo: a pharmacist can prescribe an antibiotic cream if the person is older than 2 months. Antibiotic tablets for widespread impetigo are GP territory.
- Conjunctivitis: antibiotic eye drops only help bacterial infection. They do nothing for viral or allergic conjunctivitis, which is the more common reason for a red, itchy eye.
Shingles is treated with antiviral medicine, which works best when started within 3 days of the rash appearing. So do not wait days for a GP slot.
Coughs, sore throats, earaches, sinus pain, chest infections, dental pain and skin infections other than impetigo are all outside it. The HSE is plain that antibiotics do not work for colds, flu and most coughs, and that taking them when they are not needed can mean they will not work for you later.
Sources: HSE, Cystitis, HSE, Impetigo, HSE, Conjunctivitis, HSE, Shingles and HSE, Antibiotics. Accessed 17 September 2026.
Fees, medical card and DPS
What a pharmacy prescription costs
There are two separate costs: the consultation and the medicine.
The consultation is a private fee set by the pharmacy. The HSE says the pharmacist will tell you the cost before you start, and that you pay it even if you have a medical card.
The medicine is a different matter. If the pharmacist prescribes something, it can be dispensed under your medical card or counted towards the Drugs Payment Scheme, as long as the item is covered:
- Medical card, under 70: EUR 1.50 per item, capped at EUR 15 a month per person or family.
- Medical card, 70 and over: EUR 1 per item, capped at EUR 10 a month.
- No medical card: you pay the pharmacy price, but with a Drugs Payment Scheme card you never pay more than EUR 80 in a calendar month for approved medicines.
If you have a medical card or GP visit card, the GP visit itself is free; the pharmacy consultation is not.
Sources: HSE, Common Conditions Service, HSE, Prescription charges for medical card holders, HSE, GP visit cards and HSE, Drugs Payment Scheme. Accessed 17 September 2026.
Red flags
When the pharmacy is the wrong place
Knowing the common referral reasons can save you a wasted trip.
- Urine symptoms in men, children under 16 or adults over 65: the HSE advises a GP.
- Cystitis in pregnancy, blood in the urine, or symptoms lasting more than 3 days.
- Cystitis twice or more in 6 months: a GP can look for a cause and discuss stand-by treatment.
- Eye pain, changes in vision, sensitivity to light, very red eyes, or any symptoms while wearing contact lenses. A baby under 4 weeks with conjunctivitis symptoms needs urgent assessment.
- Shingles near the eye, or shingles if you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system.
- Impetigo that is spreading, not improving with treatment, or in someone with diabetes or reduced immunity.
Not on the list, or referred on? Our guide on when to see a GP online or in person explains which problems suit a video call. A same-day online consultation with an Irish-registered doctor can assess the infection, issue a prescription where clinically appropriate and send it to your pharmacy. If you also need time off work, see your rights around sick certificates in Ireland.
Sources: HSE, Cystitis, HSE, Conjunctivitis, HSE, Shingles, HSE, Impetigo and HSE, Antibiotics. Accessed 17 September 2026.
Related pharmacy rules
How long a prescription is valid in Ireland
Since 1 March 2024 a prescriber can write a prescription valid for up to 12 months, provided they mark it that way. Since 1 September 2024 a pharmacist can also extend a six-month prescription for up to a further six months, if they judge it safe after talking to you, and must tell your prescriber within seven days. Extension is not allowed for controlled drugs in Schedules 2, 3 and 4, for high-tech medicines, or where the prescriber has written "Do Not Extend".
Source: PSI, Prescription extension by pharmacists. Accessed 17 September 2026.
Global Health Ireland
When you need a doctor instead
For infections outside the pharmacy list, or when the pharmacist refers you on, an online GP is often the next quickest step.
- Same-day online doctor consultation
- When to see a GP online vs in person
- Sick certificates in Ireland: your rights
- Doctors in Ireland
- Contact Global Health
Not on the pharmacy list?
An Irish-registered doctor can assess your symptoms by video and, where clinically appropriate, send a prescription to the pharmacy of your choice.
Sources
Sources for this guide
Service rules from the HSE and the PSI; condition advice from HSE condition pages. All checked 17 September 2026.
Fees, participating pharmacies and scheme thresholds change. Check the HSE pages or ask your pharmacist for current details.
Frequently asked questions
Pharmacist prescribing in Ireland
Can a pharmacist in Ireland give me antibiotics for a sore throat or chest infection?
No. Those are outside the Common Conditions Service. Most sore throats and coughs are viral and antibiotics will not help, but if you are worried, see a GP.
Is the Common Conditions Service free with a medical card?
The consultation is not. The HSE says you pay the pharmacy's fee even with a medical card. Any medicine prescribed can then be dispensed under your medical card or the Drugs Payment Scheme if the item is covered.
Can a pharmacist prescribe for a UTI in a man?
No. The cystitis part of the service is for women aged 16 to 64. Men with urinary symptoms should see a GP.
