Melbourne mother Nicki Azzopardi used to save a bundle by buying her contraceptive pills online.

But when it was time to have a family and she took maternity leave, she kept on shopping at an online pharmacy.

"When I went on maternity leave, it was very useful," she says. "Particularly in those early months, to have all my formula and nappies arrive on the front doorstep. Not having to go anywhere was priceless."

It helped that her purchases were cheaper, too. Now, she says, most of her mothers' group shop online with Pharmacy Direct. "If you do those bulk orders, you get free postage, plus the convenience of having it delivered to your front door," she says.

More Australians may be looking to online pharmacies for savings, following warnings that price rises and the economic crisis are making people less likely to take their medicine.

But are there savings to be made by shopping online?

And what other options are there to save money on pharmaceuticals?

A spokeswoman for Choice, Elise Davidson, says shoppers with a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescription pay the same for the drug regardless of where it is bought.

The best way to save money is to buy generic drugs, she says. These are copies of branded drugs, which may differ in colour or size because of the filler or other ingredients but must contain the same active ingredient as the original.

A reason many can save money by shopping online is because it's easier to make price comparisons and find the cheapest supplier, Davidson says.

"This may be of particular interest if you regularly buy over-the-counter or complementary medicines, need more than one product [to make the delivery fee more cost-effective] or need regular supplies such as contact lens solutions, hearing aid batteries and the like."

She warns, however, that overseas websites should be avoided. Dangers include websites that sell outdated, unapproved, contaminated or fake drugs, she says.

These risks were illustrated in May, with reports that people desperate to avoid swine flu were paying up to $150 for fake Tamiflu. Emails offering Tamiflu became even more common than email spam for erectile dysfunction, according to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

Davidson says another risk associated with using overseas websites is fraud, with the possibility website payment processes may not be secure.

As well, even if consumers are familiar with the drug they are purchasing and have used it for a long time, overseas formulations may be different from the one sold in Australia, leaving patients open to health problems.

Davidson says that despite the huge potential for problems, there's very little evidence in Australia that online sales of medicines have caused people harm. "It seems Australians have been generally cautious when it comes to drug sales via the internet. And there's less reason for taking the risk medicines are generally much cheaper here than in the US."

The manager of Australian website company Pharmacy Direct, Deborah Hudson, says those shopping on a pharmacy website should look for an Australian address listed as the website home. Australian registered pharmacies such as Pharmacy Direct are governed by Australian regulations and can only supply consumers with pharmaceuticals registered and approved for sale by the TGA, Hudson says.

She says shoppers should also look for the Quality Care Pharmacy Program (QCPP) logo. QCPP is a quality assurance program for Australian pharmacies that governs standards for the delivery of professional services and customer care.

She says pharmaceutical products for chronic conditions, vitamin supplements and skin-care lines are most popular. Products that may be required immediately, such as antibiotics, are less popular due to the day or two required to deliver the product to the home or work.

Although customers have to send paper prescriptions to online companies by post, she hopes electronic prescribing becoming available in the next few months will simplify the process.

Damien Gance, who helped set up the Chemist Warehouse, an online shop and chain of 124 pharmacies throughout Australia, says some medicines are the same price online as in shops because the Government sets the price of them.

But in other areas, he runs a low-margin business and makes his money through volume.

The Chemist Warehouse seeks to combat the lack of human contact with an online live chat with a pharmacist, a phone service and email.

But a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, John Bell, says nothing can make up for the loss of face-to-face contact with a pharmacist not even cheaper prices.

"It's important that people don't pay too much for their medicine," he says. "But cost is not the only factor."

A local pharmacist will have good records on patients and is also able to advise on side-effects and interactions with other drugs, Bell says.

Their records can also help shoppers to keep track of when they reach the PBS safety net, a Government limit on the number of full-price prescriptions. Once you have reached your relevant threshold and your pharmacist has issued your Safety Net card, medicine will be less expensive or free for the rest of the calendar year.

The pharmacist can also help with purchase records needed for end-of-year tax returns for large out-of-pocket medical expenses. You can claim 20 per cent of your net expenses above $1500.

"Cost is only one way of getting value," says Bell.