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 vaccines@balallypharmacy.ie

08/01/2026

If 2026 is your year to start a GLP-1 weight loss injection, then you’re in the right place!

👨‍⚕️ My role as a pharmacist dispensing a variety of different GLP-1s every day is to guide and support you on your weight loss journey. With safe, prudent and practical advice to reach your goals SAFELY.

If you believe you just inject your GLP-1 and don’t eat until your weight is at a safe range then I’m here to deinfluence you 🛑

👉The aim of a GLP-1 is to cut out the food noise. But you still have to eat regularly. Not eating is a sure sign your dose is way too high. It is encouraging disordered eating and increased side effects.

👉By using the GLP-1 pen correctly you focus on good quality meals just smaller quantities and this helps you build good habits for when you come off your GLP-1 and maintain the weight loss.

If you’re starting out or feel a little lost on your weight loss then focus on the basics 👇

1. Eat the protein on your plate first. This way if you do get full quickly, you are the food source to protect your muscles

2. Don’t rely on protein quick fixes like shakes. Fine for an emergency or quick on the go snack instead of a chocolate treat. But lean protein like chicken or eggs gives you other nutrients too.

3. Don’t skip meals. Eat little and often with a variety of colour, protein, carbohydrates, fibre and healthy fats.

4. Fibre!!!! Not from a packet but in the form of food like oats and fresh fruit and vegetables. This way you get lots of vitamins too. When you’re on a GLP-1 and you don’t eat enough fibre then 💩 can be painful. Lots of water helps too.

Pop into me in the pharmacy where I can talk you through your weight loss journey safely. Step by step. From how to inject. To electrolytes. To managing symptoms. We can do this 💪

Follow for more expert pharmacist advice 💚Share this with someone who may not know how to manage this weight loss journey safely. Yet!

What’s your biggest GLP-1 struggle? Let me know in the comments.

Tom

Always follow your own doctor’s and pharmacist’s advice. This is general guidance only.

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you here! Thanks so much for followiDeirdre NolanTBrian LawlorNoSarah ...
07/01/2026

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you here! Thanks so much for followiDeirdre Nolan
TBrian LawlorNoSarah SomersawCatherine Ann O ConnellerMarian Lalor Mc BrideriCarol SullivanidHazel Byrne-FarrellHaColin NolanarAileen KavanaghanMavis LuttrellagValerie Kelly HingertyerGabrielle Fee ByrneGaRyan PollardByHugh CosgravelaMarese GleesonavIrene MullinsesCiaran KirwanliEmma Nolan KMacartan ConwayanFreda SalleyonFelicitas HesseeyGillian Haineesse, Gillian Haine

💚The Wellness Prescription Series where prevention is better than cure. My weekly pharmacy series where I discuss preven...
07/01/2026

💚The Wellness Prescription Series where prevention is better than cure.
My weekly pharmacy series where I discuss prevention of many common illnesses for you. So you don’t have the longest prescription or suffer unnecessarily.

✨ This week is all about SHINGLES.
If you thought this was a virus for the elderly then think again! It can affect any adult over 18 who may be immunocompromised but particularly all adults over 50 years old as our immune systems weaken.

Shingles causes significant pain that can go on for many months. 1 in 5 experience debilitating pain for over a year. This causes significant quality of life changes.

⚠️ If you see the rash and it is anywhere near your eye please seek IMMEDIATE medical attention asap as it can cause blindness without urgent antiviral medication.

👉As there is no known cure, this is where prevention is your top priority.
The shingles vaccine is available from your pharmacy but sadly is not covered by the HSE😢despite the huge benefits. It is a two stage vaccine and is expensive.

•If you have shingles it is very important to stay away from those with weakened immune systems as you can infect them.

•You can’t catch shingles from a child with chicken pox.

•There isn’t enough data available but it is believed to give 10 years protection.

⭐️ There is emerging possible evidence that the shingles vaccine may also serve a protective role against dementia but more research is needed to prove this. Watch this space. I’ll follow the research so you don’t have to 💚

Send this to someone you know who needs to know this vital information 🙏

Follow for more daily health and medicine updates

Tom the Pharmacist 👨‍⚕️

Tell me, have you ever had shingles? What was your experience?

Perimenopausal sleep disturbances are ageing you faster than you may realise. Waking at 3am for hours but yet you’re exh...
06/01/2026

Perimenopausal sleep disturbances are ageing you faster than you may realise. Waking at 3am for hours but yet you’re exhausted all the time is draining. Needing a nap mid afternoon.

Before you start buying every health supplement from your pharmacy to try to sleep better, ask yourself what has changed recently? Is it just one bad night because of an obvious stress or is this going on a while? Ask us! That’s what as pharmacists we are for!

Lack of sleep affects everyone significantly more than most realise.
👉It affects your general quality of life
👉Your heart health-sleep deprivation increases your blood pressure and heart rate
👉Your stress and anxiety levels increase
👉Your relationships suffer at home, work, socially too
👉Weight gain is common with less sleep
👉Resistance to illness declines so you get sick more often
👉without adequate deep sleep nightly, your internal organs don’t get to repair adequately.
👉hormones in your body are tricked thinking it’s day time.

In a nutshell, sleep is not a luxury. It’s a health building block. It’s one of the very best ways of staying well overall.

Make a doctor’s appointment and make getting to the root cause of your sleep issues a priority for you. This is not something you have to put up with. Steer clear from randomly using supplements without a clear reason, or drinking wine every night to help you fall asleep.
You need a holistic approach to protecting your sleep to start feeling better again.

When the diagnosis is clear then supplements can help your treatment plan. I’ve got you 💪. Come in for a chat and we can guide you 💚

Share this with a friend struggling to sleep recently and spread the good news 🙏

If you want to start tracking your sleep just comment SLEEP and I’ll send you my sleep tracker to be more informed as to what’s really going on.

Has sleep disturbance in perimenopause or menopause been an issue for you? Let me know in the comments.

Tom

⚠️ Always ask your own doctor or pharmacist for professional individual advice. This is for general information purposes only.

Back to The Wellness Script in 2026 🥳 My weekly pharmacy series where I discuss prevention of many common illnesses. So ...
02/01/2026

Back to The Wellness Script in 2026 🥳
My weekly pharmacy series where I discuss prevention of many common illnesses. So you don’t have the longest prescription unnecessarily!

💚This week it’s Perimenopause. It affects 50% of the population. During probably the busiest time of a woman’s life. Juggling kids, parents, a career.
👉Yet from my experience as a pharmacist most women don’t realise the necessity of paying attention to these symptoms 😱.
Women are programmed to put up with symptoms to serve others. Not on my watch!

👉These are not “inconveniences” or “niggles”. Your body is doing its job and telling you loud and clear that something important is happening. Pay attention. Why are you ignoring it?
Your future self will not thank you for ignoring or minimising these symptoms. This is a NOW problem and a future you problem. It demands your full attention to get the best outcome.
👉Perimenopause does not mean no periods. That’s menopause. You can go through a lot of perimenopause with a regular cycle. Don’t let that be your guide.

If any of these symptoms make you stop and think “that’s so me” please pay attention. Ask questions. Go to your doctor and start intervention sooner rather than later 🙏. You have lots of options. Lots of ways of living life now rather than struggling.

To help I have a FREE checklist you can start to document your symptoms. Just comment PERI and I’ll send it to you right away. Take this to your doctor so you don’t forget your symptoms or when they started.

Tell me.. what symptoms have you noticed you didn’t realise might be perimenopause?

Here’s to more weekly health topics in 2026 where prevention is always better than cure!

⚠️ Remember this is just generalised advice and guidance. ALWAYS consult your own medical team for personalised advice.

02/01/2026

As a pharmacist, to keep you safe, I need to know your medical history and medications you may be on or were on in the past. It’s to keep you safe and make sure medicines don’t interact with each other and are safe for you.

❓But did you also know that with many different conditions you are entitled to some free vaccines and health schemes to cover the cost of your prescriptions?

👉Just pop into us in the pharmacy and ask us!
We can help advise you on what you may be entitled to and help set you up on the different HSE schemes.

Tom

Ps pass this onto someone who may not be claiming from the government schemes to cover prescription costs.

01/01/2026

Welcome to my pharmacy side of 2026 just for YOU ✨
Real healthcare and medicine advice made simple. No hype. No flogging products. No collaborations, affiliations or sponsorships. No own brand products to sell with no scientific research or proof to back them.

👉Just honest, scientific research backed advice.
I share every day common health conditions simply with over 30 years pharmacy experience and a dad of 4 kids.

Great to see you💚
I’m Tom and I think you’re going to like it here!
Are you frustrated with all the conflicting health advice and hard sell of products? Let me know.

31/12/2025

Our 2025 Balally Pharmacy highlights ✨
I’ve only posted on Instagram since September 1st 2025 and I can’t thank you enough for being here for the ride.
A sincere thank you from me and my amazing team for making our small, family owned, local independent community pharmacy what it has become 💚

In a world of big chain pharmacies, the support you give us is incredible 🙏

👉When you see all these 2025 roundups today just remember they’re the highlights! There have been plenty of personal and business ups and downs this year too for me. Competing with the big chains is extremely challenging but I strongly believe that how we put you, our patient, at the centre of everything we do is what sets us apart. You’re not another customer to us. You’re part of our tribe😊. It’s deeply personal to us.

We wish you a happy and healthy 2026 🥂 and look forward to so much coming in the New Year 💚. Thanks so much for being here.

Tom, Melissa, Emma, Karol, Ahmed, Nosaybah, Chloe, Charlotte, Conor, Aoife.

30/12/2025

New Year New You advice/ brainwashing every where this week.
👉Let’s cut out all the noise and make this simple. Free. Using tried and trusted methods that work!
As a pharmacist working in community pharmacy I help people from the cradle to the grave every day. This is what real life experience and research proves to be true

1. Sleep loss is slowly killing you. If you can fall asleep within 5 minutes of your head hitting the pillow you are sleep deprived. Lack of good quality sleep affects every organ in your body. Your quality of life. Your immune system. Set a bed time and aim for 7-9 hours every night.

2. Hydration. You know you don’t drink enough water! So aim for at least 2 litres daily. You can add fresh fruit slices to make it more interesting. But without adequate hydration you are making every internal organ work significantly harder than it needs to. 24/7. It also contributes to headaches, poor skin and tiredness.

3. Lack of movement. This is a biggy. If you don’t use it you lose it. Muscle strength. Bone density. Independence. Lung function. Gut issues. The list goes on. Start where you’re at. 10 minutes up and down the room. Use the stairs more. Get out for fresh air aiming for 30 minutes daily. Just begin.

4. Eat your vitamins. I’m a big believer in achieving your daily vitamin requirements purely from whole foods. There is no need to buy vitamins “just because”. You don’t need expensive p*e. The only one I do suggest is vitamin D in winter. Supplement only if you are in need. Ask your doctor or pharmacist always.

5. Your mental health. Protect it at all costs. Keep your mind active like a muscle with puzzles. Use it or lose it. Minimise social media scrolling time. Set a timer. Surround yourself with people who make you feel good after spending time with them. Connect with those people.

👉This is how we feel better. Looking at our bodies holistically. Not in isolation. Not buying into trends. Back to basics.

💚Why not send this to someone always falling for expensive health trends.

⚠️ Always consult with your own medical team for advice personalised 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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