LOWCOUNTRY, S.C. (WCIV) — The South Carolina Department of Public Health is encouraging South Carolina residents to participate in the upcoming National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, which will be held on Oct. 24.

During take-back day, residents are asked to clean out their medicine cabinet of unused or expired medications. Then those collected medications can be brought to any take-back location where they will collect tablets, capsules, patches and other solid forms of prescription drugs.

According to data from the SCDPH, In 2024, the most recent year for which complete data is available, there were 1,481 drug overdose deaths in South Carolina, a 31.3% decrease from the 2,157 drug overdose deaths in 2023. Of those overdose deaths, 1,166 were attributed to prescription drugs. Additionally the DEA reports that nearly 50% of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets.

This take back event, which is held twice annually, aims to further curb those statistics.

“While overdose deaths have declined over the past couple of years in South Carolina, the data still shows that prescription drugs account for a large number of overdose deaths that do occur,” said Julia Horan, DPH’s Substance Use Prevention Unit manager. “Drug Take Back Day gives everyone a safe and simple way to dispose of expired or unwanted prescription medications, preventing misuse and keeping harmful substances out of our homes.”

During the most recent April 2026 Drug Take Back Day, South Carolina reportedly collected 4,905 pounds of unwanted or expired prescription drugs across 47 drop-off sites the SCDPH reports.

National prescription take back day will kick of at 10 a.m. and run until 2 p.m., and discarded prescriptions can be dropped off at any collection location detailed here

More information on opioid overdose and prevention, opioid antidote naloxone, finding a recovery provider, pain management options and overdose data, can be found on the DPH’sOpioid Epidemic webpage.

Vaping devices and cartridges, liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs will not be accepted during this event.