Cost and access to weight loss injections in Ireland

[Mudflaps]

Weight loss injections, I'm seriously considering starting these but know without doubt my gp will not prescribe, I had to bypass her to get hrt despite being in full menopause hell. She eventually prescribed hrt when I went back after a year and told her I was staying on it and she could save me €80 a month or not (back when hrt wasn't free) so the chances of her prescribing the injections is zero, she's very very old school. I've seen ads for online doctors who will prescribe but what is the cost each month? I have a medical card which I presume is of no benefit in this case. We regularly travel to Northern Ireland so could get prescription dispensed there if it worked out better value. I definitely fit the criteria mentioned by the online gp's, bmi high enough, high blood pressure, on prescribed opiates for chronic pain. Any help from those who have accessed the injections in Ireland would be appreciated. I suspect once I start my husband will also do so and his weight is starting to effect his health so I really think it would help us both.

Can you get to a new GP? Thats the cheapest option. Virtual doctors sell the drugs too mybmi.ie and lloyds.ie do a lot of advertising and a family member uses eirdoc.ie for weight loss drugs. At.€80 per appointment and €200 per injection, its expensive though.

Unfortunately there are no gp's available to change to, definitely none accepting a medical card. I've been with this gp almost 20 years and she was the first to really deal with my chronic pain (glandular fever aged 12 led to fibromyalgia by age 16, in my mid 50's now), the thought of not having the pain dealt with is scary but then quite a few are reporting a decrease in inflammation/pain on the injections.

My GP would never prescribe it either. I got one prescription from Zava online. I had to fill in my medical details and send in two (humiliating) pics. They send the scrip directly to à pharmacy local to you, so you don’t have the opportunity to bring scrip to the North to have it filled there.
I then found that some pharmacies in the North will prescribe and dispense and it’s much cheaper. 2.5mg pen in Ireland cost me almost €300, whereas the 5mg pen cost £200. It’s a huge saving over the year, and gets you past the problem of GPs refusing to prescribe.
Have a look at Corrys Pharmacy online, that’s who I use.

My GP told me she can't prescribe Mounjaro; she offered Ozempic but was very pleased for me when I told her I was getting Mounjaro privately. She's also delighted with my results!

These are the current prices for Mounjaro from MyBMI Ireland. Note that the amount in the Total column is for a month's supply. It's expensive, but it's so worth it. The North is too far away for pharmacy pick up to be feasible for me.

Wow @SusanSometimes , that’s a lot pricier than NI.

I know, @KittytheHare, it's mad isn't it?

Do Corrys deliver or do you collect? To be honest if the saving were enough I'd travel monthly to collect. The fact that gp's here are so reluctant to prescribe is annoying. I actually think she'd prescribe for my husband but not me because he's obviously overweight (large stomach) while I'm 5'2" and size 14 (struggling to stay that size) she will comment that I look well!! She didn’t want to prescribe testosterone despite me being on it for a year (private prescription) until she mentioned 'it helps with a happy marriage' so she prescribed for dh's benefit!!! She's only 62 years old so her attitude shocks me.

Was there a reason you didn't try what she could prescribe? Is there a benefit of one over another?

@Mudflaps you have to collect if you’re in Ireland.

OK, I can manage that. Pity having to travel from Co. Limerick but I think worth it.

I think if you weigh up the costs over the course of a year, you’ll prob save close to €1k by going to the North. You can go shopping and make a day of it!

I'm trying to convince myself I'll shop 'in the attic' using all the clothes that don't fit anymore!! My niece (17) has other ideas, she's currently wearing boot cut jeans older than her that I wore in the late 90's!!

That’s a good point actually - such a lovely feeling to be able to wear things again. It’s like having a new wardrobe. I actually had to buy a belt last weekend, much to my delight.

I was into my GP earlier this week and she was really putting the pressure on my to start taking weight loss injections or even a gastric sleeve. She's put pressure on me a couple of times over the last year. I said I'll think about it. I think from past conversations she would prescribe wegovy but it's very expensive.

Do we have any idea when wegovy tablets will be available? AI says late 2026 or early 2027. I think I might try these

I can understand why you're looking into them, especially if your weight is affecting your health and you've found it difficult to access treatment through your GP.
I don't have experience in Ireland, but from what I've seen, many people use private online clinics if they meet the eligibility criteria. The monthly cost usually depends on the medication, the dose you're on, and whether the price includes consultations and ongoing monitoring, so it's worth checking exactly what's included before signing up.
As you have high blood pressure and chronic pain, I'd also want to make sure whichever service you use offers proper medical follow-up rather than simply issuing a prescription.