Extra care is necessary when taking several different medicines. This is particularly true for patients with visual or cognitive impairment.

Blister packs make it simple and easy to take the right medicines at the right time by dividing your tablets into separately sectioned blisters, each marked with the time of day when the tablets should be taken.

This can improve your medication adherence and reduce errors. Caregivers can also easily check that the right medicines have been taken in a timely manner.

Blister packs can help if you are

• Struggling to organise medicines.
• Finding it difficult to remember when to take your medicines.
• Helping to look after someone else.
• Recently home from hospital and suddenly have a lot more tablets to take.
• Looking after someone who is visually impaired.
• On a complex medication regime.

Hypertension is the foremost risk factor for cardiovascular events globally and affects around a third of adults.

High blood pressure can affect people of all ages but does not always have symptoms. Untreated, high blood pressure may lead to conditions like heart disease or a stroke.

Monitoring your blood pressure for 24 hours can help work out if its consistently high. This would be particularly useful if you:

• Have family members with a history of high blood pressure.
• Suspect you have high or borderline high blood pressure.
• Experience variable blood pressure.
• Have conditions such as diabetes or high cholesterol.
• Already take medicines to reduce your blood pressure.
• Experience blood pressure that is hard to control.
• Want to check for Atrial Fibrillation (irregular heartbeat).

For convenience and proximity reasons, community pharmacies play an increasingly important role in hypertension screening and monitoring.

Our service involves fitting you with a device to wear, which includes a cuff around your arm that will measure your blood pressure for 24 hours.

Blood Pressure Category	Systolic mm Hg (upper number)		Diastolic mm Hg (lower number)
Normal	Less than 120	and	Less than 80
Elevated	120-129	and	Less than 80
High Blood Pressure – Hypertension Stage 1	130-139	or	80-89
High Blood Pressure – Hypertension Stage 2	Higher than 140	or	Higher than 90
Hypertensive Crisis	Higher than 180	and/or	Higher than 120

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.

Nutrients are substances that are essential for good health - promoting energy, providing building blocks to form body structures, and helping to regulate body functions.

Protein, carbohydrate, and fat are classified as macronutrients providing energy to fuel the body plus protein is broken down into amino acids to repair and grow new muscle fibres.

Minerals and vitamins are classified as micronutrients and play a key role in the body's structures and functions.

The Irish government and the HSE publish detailed nutritional guidelines comprising a few key points:

• Eat more vegetables, salad, and fruit - Up to seven servings a day.
• Limit your intake of high fat, sugar, salt (HFSS) food and drinks.
• Reduce portion sizes and use the food pyramid as a guide.
• Increase your physical activity.

For many people, following a balanced and healthy diet coupled with exercise, will provide all the nutritional needs of your body.

However, nutritional needs vary with age, activity, and medication - particularly the long-term use of medications.

With age the lean body mass naturally reduces and there is an increase in body fat. This generally results in reduced mobility and subsequent risk of osteoporosis and falls.

It also reduces the metabolic rate causing the body's energy requirements to fall which may in turn may lessen your appetite. The reduced intake of foods may also decrease your micronutrient intake (for example vitamins).

Certain medications are well known for causing side effects such as nausea or drowsiness affecting nutritional intake, but sometimes a lesser known side effect happens without giving you any warning: nutrient deficiency.

Most medications for a short amount of time will not lead to nutrient deficiency.

But long-term use can be different - reducing the absorption of certain vitamins or depleting minerals in the body or even inhibiting the production of important enzymes.

Even commonly used medications like some statins, PPIs (for acid reflux) and diuretics (lower blood pressure) etc taken for long periods can lead to nutrient deficiency.

If you feel any of the above apply to you, we can complete a review of your medications and diet to provide guidance on what nutritional supplements would benefit you.

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.