(07/30/02) -- Prescription drug costs can ruin a family budget, especially if you don't have health insurance. That's why the Canadian connection can really payoff. Drug prices are cheaper there and, thanks to the Internet, you can log on and slash your prescription bill. But make sure you shop around. Action 9 reporter Todd Ulrich found out not all Canadian pharmacies have the same deals.

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Yvonne Sullivan takes about a dozen different pills a day for what ails her. Her prescription drug bill, last year, was $3,500. "I can't understand why they can't come down on their prices," she says.

Yvonne is taking matters into her own hands and heading across the border. Not driving, shopping online for Canadian drugs. "If I can save some money, why shouldn't I," says Yvonne.

A growing number of consumers fill their prescriptions, by mail, from a Canadian pharmacies. Unlike the U.S., Canada regulates drug prices.

How much can you save? We checked the prices for several popular drugs at 10 different Canadian online pharmacies and compared that to the best prices we could find at Central Florida pharmacies.

Lipitor, the cholesterol drug, 90 pills, at Sam's Club is $258. At Canammeds.com, just $133. Celebrex, for arthritis, is $234 at Walgreens but just $102 at Canada Prescription. And Tamaxifen, the breast cancer drug, an astounding difference. At Target it's $315 but online at Doctorsolve.com it's just $29!

Doctorsolve is run out of a clinic and pharmacy in White Rock, British Columbia. Dr. Paul Zickler owns Doctorsolve, where you are charged $39 every time you order for a doctor to review your case. Like all online Canadian pharmacies, you have to fax or send your U.S. doctor's prescriptions, fill out a medical questionaire and sign a consent form. Business from the states is booming.

The prices can vary from one Canadian website to the next. One striking example: the acne drug Accutane. At Doctorsolve.com it was $231 but at Healthmeds.com, the same drug cost more than twice as much ($501).

And keep track of the extra charges. On one site, the doctor fee is nearly $14 for each prescription. Shipping fees can be as high as $20 an order.

Eight weeks after placing her order, Yvonne Sullivan got her first shipment of Canadian drugs. Her savings: around $400 for a 3-month supply.

Technically, importing prescription drugs is illegal, but the FDA has refused to take action. Apparently, it does not wanting to punish seniors. The FDA cannot guarantee the quality, but experts say in most cases these are the same drugs.

Are there some canadian sites to avoid? This is catching on so fast, some illegal operations are out there, you need to watch out far. In general, make sure you can contact the pharmacy by phone. Do they have a physical address, not just a PO Box? And if they don't ask for your doctor's prescription, stay away, that's illegal.