SEATTLE -- Americans spend $120 billion a year on prescription medications, more per person than consumers anywhere else in the world.

And the cost keeps going up. KIRO-7 Eyewitness News Consumer Investigator Ross McLaughlin discovered what some Washington state residents are doing about it.

For Frank and Betty Montgomery, pills are a part of their daily diet. They take medications for diabetes, blood pressure and cancer. Last
year, the couple spent nearly $6,000 on prescriptions. That's more than 30 percent of their income.

"It doesn't come cheap," said Frank Montgomery. "We're living on Social Security, that's all." The Montgomerys have had to take out a second mortgage on their house to stay out of the red. And prescription drug prices keep going up.

"Every time we get them, they go up four dollars more, eight dollars more for a prescription," said Montgomery.

KIRO-7 went searching for a better price. We found a place where consumers can save hundreds of dollars.

Take Frank Montgomery's diabetes medication, Glynase, for example. He's been paying $105 a month. We found it for a fraction of the price -- about $14, or a difference of more than $90.

Or how about Betty Montgomery's Tamoxifen to help fight breast cancer? It costs her more than $91, but we found it at just $11 -- an $80
difference.

Where did KIRO-7 find these cheap prices? In Canada.

We persuaded Frank Montgomery to drive from his Bothell home to a walk-in clinic in Surrey, just across the Canadian border. The visit
cost just $28, and the Canadian doctor reviewed and phoned in Montgomery's prescriptions.

By the time Montgomery arrived at the drug store, the prescriptions were ready. When he heard the total, $121 U.S., he was speechless. His savings? About $547, or 80 percent.

How can this be? The Canadian government limits the cost of prescription drugs. Drug companies are not allowed to advertise, and no markup on drugs is allowed at pharmacies.They make their money by charging a small dispensing fee.

Also, there is a huge generic drug industry in Canada. There are even generics for drugs like Prozac, which have no generics in the United States. And some drugs, like Claritin, that require prescriptions in the United States are sold over the counter at a much lower cost in Canada.

As word gets around, more and more Washington residents are making the trip north and cashing in on the savings.

"Boy, now I can afford to buy meat," said Montgomery. "I'm going to come up here every time my prescriptions need filling."

There have been no problems in crossing the border, said KIRO-7 reporter McLaughlin. Just make sure you have documentation proving the medications are for personal use.