Balally Pharmacy

Balally Pharmacy Independent family run pharmacy located in Sandyford Dublin 16. Tom McKenna is the Pharmacist owner since 2014.

We have a wonderful highly qualified team instore. I have over 30 years experience and I’m a dad of four. Vaccine Information: email [email protected]

05/06/2026

✨Collagen and joint pain is this week’s highlight question Ask Tom Q&A on stories this week. .

👉Collagen has no strong evidence based research to back it up. The research often quoted is paid for by the manufacturers. Our own bodies make all the collagen we need if we nourish it with protein and vitamin C through food.

🦅For me it is preying on women going through perimenopause and menopause. Hope in a bottle.

👉The reality is that during hormonal fluctuations, all aspects of a woman’s body are affected. It is not just a reproductive change.

👉So joint linings, muscles, brain, heart, bones, your gut and mucous membranes are all affected in addition to reproductive organs and processes.

👉 middle section abdominal weight can also increase during this transition. We know that increased weight may lead to additional joint strain. HRT, exercise and exercise are all proven to help.

👉HRT is not a one time only consultation with your doctor. It’s individualised care based on your symptoms. Especially during the wildly fluctuating hormonal events of perimenopause. So if joint pains are an issue for you, ask your doctor for help. It may involve tweaking your HRT. It may involve other medication. But it more than likely won’t be over the counter or in a supplement. Remember HRT is free in Ireland.

I have other reels on collagen and HRT if you want to see more with lots of free guides.

If you have been tempted to try collagen to ease joint pain during perimenopause ,let me know in the comments. I’ll try to answer any questions I can.

Follow for more pharmacist’s advice and be sure to send this to anyone tempted to try collagen!

I hope this helps?

Tom the Pharmacist 🧑‍⚕️.
⚠️Advice only. Always consult your own doctor or pharmacist.

04/06/2026

Why are supplement companies suddenly asking people to sign petitions?

You may have seen posts claiming the EU is “banning vitamins” or taking away supplements.
So what is actually happening?

The EU has long planned to introduce maximum legal levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements.

This is not new legislation. The legal basis has existed since 2002 through EU food supplement law.

At the moment, some supplements sold online and in some health food shops contain doses far higher than what many health authorities consider routine safe levels.

Just one example in Ireland 👇

☀️ In Ireland, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) currently considers:
• 3,000 IU/day the maximum safe SUPPLEMENT level for Vitamin D
• 4,000 IU/day the tolerable upper intake level for adults from food sources AND a supplement.

Many fair skinned people require only 1000IU from Halloween to St Patrick’s Day in Ireland.

👉Yet some supplements contain 10,000 IU daily😱

To be clear:
❌ This does NOT mean vitamins are being banned
❌ It does NOT mean high dose vitamin D can never be prescribed medically. Your doctor can prescribe higher doses based on clinical blood test results.

✅ It may mean tighter EU regulation around consumer supplement doses and safety

👉As always, ignore the panic and go back to the evidence base📚

I’ve put together a free guide with all the OFFICIAL EU and Irish FSAI links so you can read the source documents yourself.

👉Comment LINKS and I’ll send it to you.

I am wholeheartedly in agreement that supplement regulation is a positive for all and will improve patient safety.

I hope this helps?

Tom the Pharmacist 🧑‍⚕️.

⚠️Educational content only. Please discuss with your doctor or pharmacist

03/06/2026

🚩 These are some red flags as a pharmacist I wouldn’t ignore and neither should you.

Wednesdays are my “The Wellness Prescription” Series where I focus on prevention being better than cure.

Early detection saves lives and can drastically reduce hospital intervention and increase treatment options for you 🙏

Yes some of these points are seen as “embarrassing conditions” but to anyone in healthcare it’s just another symptom to manage. We see them all the time.

I have a 🆓 pharmacist’s checklist to help you. Just comment LIST and I’ll send it to your DMs.

Most symptoms are easily managed with lifestyle changes or care from your GP or pharmacist.

Those that are more serious are better treated when caught early. Especially if your symptoms are new, persisting past a few weeks or worsening.

Save this post for future reference but please share with someone you feel needs to know 💚

👉If you want to stay up to date on evidence based health and medicines advice, just follow for more throughout the week.

Hope this helps?

Tom the Pharmacist 🧑‍⚕️

⚠️Educational content only. Always consult your GP or pharmacist for advice specifically for you. .

02/06/2026

Sleep disruption is for many women I talk with in the pharmacy one of the more challenging aspects of perimenopause and menopause.

In today’s edition of my weekly series “The Menopause Prescription” I discuss the importance of sleep and why it may affect you more than hot flushes during perimenopause.

We all know how hard it is to survive on broken sleep the next day 😢. The ability to function and get up for the day when you only got to sleep at 5am.

Recent studies are proving this very point. Sleep is vital for quality of life. To exercise. To eat well. To stay well. It is not a luxury.

If you are finding a good night’s sleep challenging, there are many ways to get things back on track. This is a real issue. Not something you’re imagining.

From holistic lifestyle changes to prescription medications including HRT, melatonin amongst others. I’ve seen it all over my 35 years as a pharmacist. Every woman is very different and what used to help may no longer help as hormones continue to fluctuate.

I have a free guide including a sleep tracker for you. Just comment SLEEP and it’s yours.

Be sure to save this guide for future reference at 3am or share it with someone who really needs a better sleep soon 🙏

I hope this helps?

Tom the Pharmacist .
⚠️General advice only. Always consult your own doctor or pharmacist

29/05/2026

✨Shingles is our highlight question of the week from my weekly series Ask Tom Q&A on stories every Thursday night.

Shingles is a very nasty virus and can cause significant long term nerve pain (post herpetic pain) long after the rash disappears requiring strong pain killers.

The more outbreaks of shingles and the older you become, the higher your risk of these complications.

Shingles vaccination has over 90% success rate. Those who do get shingles despite vaccination are also far less likely to get a severe dose and complications are generally reduced.

Promising research shows a possible link between the shingles vaccine and reduction in dementia also. More research is required but it’s it’s a great bonus in addition to preventing shingles.

In Ireland, anyone over 50 years or over 18 and immunocompromised is advised to vaccinate against shingles but sadly the HSE does not cover the cost so it’s a private vaccination. This I find ridiculous when the cost to the state for reimbursement of the anti viral medications and pain killers is very high. Different countries will have different age groups and reimbursement agreements.

The second you suspect you may have shingles, please go straight to your pharmacy or GP 🙏. At this stage you may not feel unwell. But the sooner you get treatment, the lower your risk of complications will be. Pharmacists under The Common Conditions Service can prescribe antiviral medications and many pharmacies also offer the Shingrix shingles vaccine.

I hope this helps?

Tom the Pharmacist 🧑‍⚕️

⚠️Educational content only. Always consult your own doctor or pharmacist for advice

Bone Loss Prevention is part of my series ‘The Wellness Prescription’ where prevention is always better than cure! As a ...
27/05/2026

Bone Loss Prevention is part of my series ‘The Wellness Prescription’ where prevention is always better than cure!

As a pharmacist working full time I see the consequences of ignoring this silent disease. You think all is well. You fall. Fracture a bone and only then do you discover you have osteopaenia or osteoporosis.

Others are more lucky and have a DEXA scan that measures your bone density before you break something. This is more common in menopause.

Despite a diagnosis of bone loss, there is so much you can do to prevent your bone loss getting any worse 💪. You do not have to sit on the sidelines and expect this to just go into free fall decline.
No gimmicks. No potions. No influencer nonsense. Just practical advice easily done from home.

👉My message here is simple. Don’t wait for a fracture to happen. You can PREVENT this from happening. You do not have to become a statistic. 1 in 2 women over 50 will break a bone. This is largely preventable but sadly these evidence proven tips are boring and out of sight out of mind. If you can’t see the bone damage does it even exist right?

I have a 🆓 guide on bone health just comment BONES and I’ll send it straight to you.

👉Were you aware of the importance of looking after your bones? Tell me your experience in the comments.

Check out excellent 🆓 resources from , , and .

I have included a link to the FRAX online tool in my guide to assess your risk of fracture.

Share this with a friend who may need a reminder and follow so you don’t miss out on more evidence based advice 🙏

Hope this helps?

Tom the Pharmacist 🧑‍⚕️
⚠️Always consult your own doctor or pharmacist for advice. .

26/05/2026

Sequential HRT in perimenopause is this week’s ‘The Menopause Prescription’ episode.

This type of HRT is typically the first type of HRT a woman will experience in early perimenopause if she still has her periods. Even erratic ones! Typically if your last menstrual period is under 12 months.

👉Sequential just means 2 weeks of JUST bioidentical estradiol patches.
👉Then approximately 2 weeks of BOTH estradiol and a progesterone component.

So why change mid way through the month?
Primarily to protect the lining of your uterus (womb) by shedding and progesterone can also help your overall mood and sleep.

✨Did you know this? Did anyone ever explain this to you? Let me know.

I have a free quick guide for you to save explaining sequential HRT and red flags to watch out for.

✅Just comment GUIDE and I’ll send it straight to you.

If you don’t follow me yet, I share lots of 🆓 health and medicines advice throughout the week. Stories are where I share the most valuable content!

If you know a friend who needs to know about HRT just share this now 🙏

Hope this helps?

Tom the Pharmacist 🧑‍⚕️.
⚠️General advice only. Always talk to your doctor and pharmacist for advice specifically for you.

25/05/2026

If you are going to worry about your health please make sure your information is coming from trusted sources 🙏.

If all your sources of information are from online scaremongering it can cause unnecessary worry and delay actual diagnosis.

You could drive yourself crazy thinking you have every symptom and every medication is bad for you.

More often than not the answer is very simple! Trust experience and knowledgeable healthcare providers over online “gurus” with an affiliate code. We are in healthcare with the best of intentions.
To help YOU 💚

Sometimes all you need is a pharmacist who understands you🥰
Who takes the time to explain your medication 💊. Who liaises with your doctor to find the best prescription for you.
Who sits down with you and goes through all your medication from different doctors and figures out exactly what you need and what’s overlap.
Who is just a listening ear and directs you to trusted sources of evidence based advice.

Your local pharmacist is a medicine expert and a highly trusted healthcare professional 💚

My door is open for you to come in and have a chat. Even if you’re not a patient in our pharmacy.

👉I share valuable free advice online throughout the week with free guides to accompany many of my educational posts.

So give me a follow if you’re not yet part of my tribe and see what you’ve been missing out on!

I hope this helps?

Tom the Pharmacist 🧑‍⚕️.

23/05/2026

People ask me why as a pharmacist I’m on social media. Or what business do I have being on social media. Or could I just do a reel on XYZ it will only take a minute!

All very valid questions and points!

Honest answer is I just love my job. I’m only on social media 8 months and I’ve learnt so much. I knew the misinformation online was immense. I honestly didn’t realise it was as bad as it is.

That misinformation came into the pharmacy daily. Across all different health topics and medicines. I would explain why those “quacks” online were only trying to sell them products which could delay diagnosis and treatment.

As a pharmacist being online allows me to help fill the gap between quacks and science. Health information based on hard evidence and science. Not profit. I am not sponsored. I don’t do ads. No affiliate links. If I recommend a product it is based on extensive research and patient recommendations.

So as Kim K says it IS a full time second job! It’s definitely not as easy as it looks! But I wouldn’t have it any other way. It helps to simplify my work life by being able to direct my patients to actual facts.

👉If you follow me, I do an Ask Tom on stories every Thursday. Throughout the week I cover a wealth of topics with 🆓 guides to explain in more detail or direct you to evidence based sources of information.

👉If you want straight talking no nonsense advice on health and medicines, just follow for more.

Share this with a friend who may need some sound advice.

Pharmacy doesn’t always have to be so serious. Remember laughter is the best medicine 💊 😂

Hope this helps?

Tom the Pharmacist 🧑‍⚕️.

22/05/2026

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is our highlight question of the week. Every Thursday on stories I answer many different questions across all health topics in my Ask Tom series.

Erectile dysfunction is far more common than many men realise. It’s not always “just ageing.”

Sometimes it’s temporary. Sometimes stress, anxiety, depression, tiredness or alcohol play a role.

But sometimes ED can be an early clue that something else is going on under the surface 👇

🚩 High blood pressure
🚩 Diabetes or pre diabetes
🚩 High cholesterol
🚩 Cardiovascular disease
🚩 Medication side effects (including some antidepressants and blood pressure medicines)
🚩 Smoking, alcohol, weight or hormonal issues

The good news? There are treatment options.

Here’s something many men don’t seem to realise

👉If one over the counter ED treatment doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t necessarily mean they all won’t. Different medicines work slightly differently and timing, food, alcohol and dose can all matter.

But safety first ⚠️

👉ED medicines are not suitable for everyone and can interact with some medicines, particularly nitrates used for angina and some heart conditions.

👉Buying online without necessary consultation and from a trusted pharmacy is dangerous ⚠️

That’s why pharmacy matters 💊

👉A pharmacist can have a confidential, judgement free conversation, help choose the safest option, check for interactions and spot when further medical review might be needed.

You genuinely do not need to be embarrassed. We talk about this far more often than you think 😊

Follow for evidence based no nonsense health & medicines advice throughout the week 💚

If you know someone who is suffering in silence I’m here to help. Share this with them or pop into me where you will be listened to and advised with empathy.

Hope this helps?

Tom the Pharmacist 🧑‍⚕️

⚠️General advice only. Always consult your own doctor or pharmacist for advice specifically for you.

Address

Sandyford Shopping Centre, Blackthorn Drive Sandyford D16V2P 5
Dublin
D16V2P5

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 7pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 7pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 7pm
Thursday 8:30am - 7pm
Friday 8:30am - 7pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm

Telephone

+35312954084

Website

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