Ireland HRT Scheme | How to Claim

On the 15th April 2025 the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill announced a State-funded HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) scheme for women designed to give patients access to HRT products and medicines at no charge to the patient.

The Scheme is scheduled to come in to effect from 1st June 2025. 

It is not clear yet how much pharmacies will be paid for this service, there was a mention of paying a €5 per dispensing item - however IPU President Tom Murray said such a scheme is not sustainable.

He warned in a statement  that a €5 fee per medicine is not viable, adding that it "no longer reflects the cost of delivering safe, regulated and professional care".

As soon as we know our position on providing this service we will publish the details here.

 

What is HRT ?

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a medicine-based treatment used to help with symptoms of menopause and peri-menopause.

There are different types of HRT treatments. Your Doctor will help guide you if HRT is right for you and give advice on the type that might suit you best.

Once you have a prescription your Doctor can heath-mail us at skin1.palmerstown@healthmail.ie or you can bring the prescription document into our pharmacy in Palmerstown.

 

Uses of HRT 

HRT can balance and replace the hormones that your body no longer produces in the same way because of peri-menopause and menopause.

It helps relieve most menopausal symptoms, such as:

  • hot flushes
  • night sweats
  • mood swings
  • vaginal dryness
  • reduced sex drive

Many of these symptoms pass in a few years, but they can be unpleasant.

Taking HRT can relieve symptoms for many women.

HRT can also help reduce the risk of:

osteoporosis (weakening of the bones) - this is more common after menopause

certain types of heart diseases - if you start it before you are 60 years of age

Starting HRT

Talk to your Doctor if you want to start HRT.

Your Doctor will tell you if HRT is suitable for you and discuss the different types of HRT available.

You can usually begin HRT as soon as you start having menopausal symptoms. Depending on your age, you do not usually need to have any tests first.

Some types of HRT can slightly increase your risk of certain serious problems, such as blood clots and breast cancer. But the benefits outweigh the risks for most women.

This Information was referenced from hse.ie please refer to https://www2.hse.ie/medicines/hrt/ for further information.

 

 

 

 

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