Epi Pens in Ireland

username2013

I have just returned to Ireland after living abroad for several years. My son has some food allergies, peanuts etc for which we require epi-pens. Epi-pens have an expiry date and as such, they need to be replaced once they expire. In Canada, these are covered under the public health system. I had planned to get private insurance whilst in Ireland to cover things like this, however I just contacted VHI and they informed me that these would not be covered.

So how does it work in Ireland? Does the public health system cover these? Or do people pay out for these themselves?

Thanks!

ceegee

They are covered onthe medical card if you are eligible for one. Otherwise expect to pay somewhere around 50-60 quid for one

naughtysmurf

ceegee wrote: »

They are covered onthe medical card if you are eligible for one. Otherwise expect to pay somewhere around 50-60 quid for one

I thought they were a bit more than 50/60, either way check the expiration date before you purchase at the pharmacy too, some can be very short, go elsewhere for one with a longer expiration

The Hound Gone Wild

They're covered under the Drugs Payment Scheme. Everyone in the state is entitled to use it. It ensures the maximum cost of drugs for a household is €124 in any given month provided you use one single Pharmacy.

You can apply for a DPS card here; https://www2.hse.ie/services/drugs-payment-scheme/drugs-payment-scheme-card.html

Every Pharmacy has emergency DPS forms so please don't go without an EpiPen and drop into your local Pharmacy & have a chat to a pharmacist about filling in an emergency DPS form. You'll still need to apply online even if you fill an emergency DPS form.

You'll need the PPSN of everyone in your household Inc anyone in full-time education or under 21 when filling in the emergency form so bring them with you to the Pharmacy.

Edit: Obviously if you're entitled to a medical card they're also covered.

Also Obviously you'll also need a prescription from an Irish doctor.

username2013

Thanks for the replies guys. I would not be eligible for a medical card, but I will look into the DPS card. Thanks!

cullenswood

Get the doctor to give you a prescription for a number of them. We have two in the school for our son, two at the childminder and two for ourselves. We were advised to have the spare available just in case there is a malfunction. Chances of this are obviously very slim. The price for all of them will be the same under DPS.

Also, also echo the advice on trying not to be given shorter dated ones.

username2013

cullenswood wrote: »

Get the doctor to give you a prescription for a number of them. We have two in the school for our son, two at the childminder and two for ourselves. We were advised to have the spare available just in case there is a malfunction. Chances of this are obviously very slim. The price for all of them will be the same under DPS.

Also, also echo the advice on trying not to be given shorter dated ones.

Thanks cullenswood. Does this mean a prescription is required to get the epi-pens in pharmacies/chemists here?

Good call on having multiple for different places such as schools. Another thing we do is keep at home our old expired ones. There has been some studies done which showed that these were still effective long after the expiration date, although obviously you do get new ones as they expire. So when we go on planes, we bring the current non-expired pens but also some expired ones too just in case. Probably overkill but planes are scary if an anaphylactic attack were to occur.

On a side note, how do you find schools/pre-schools are here with allergies? Our son is nearly 3 and half, and has peanuts, eggs, sesame and sunflower allergies.

cullenswood

Depends on the school to be honest. Our one was clueless when our son started (but that was back in 2012, a lot more awareness now, and they should have an allergy policy).
We do go in and meet our sons new teacher every year just to explain the situation and show how to use the Epipen. They are more than happy to meet, and actually showing them how to use it takes away any fears they might have. We got a "trainer" pen that has no shot in it, so we can show them exactly how it works. (Can't remember where we got that from though)

NIMAN

naughtysmurf wrote: »

I thought they were a bit more than 50/60, either way check the expiration date before you purchase at the pharmacy too, some can be very short, go elsewhere for one with a longer expiration

60!:eek:

I got 2 last week for nothing (god bless NHS and free prescriptions in NI), and their expiration is only a year.