Lowcountry organizations encourage substance abuse prevention to protect your family

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) – Keeping drugs safe at home means proper use, safe storage and, most importantly, keeping them out of the hands of people who will abuse them. That’s why Lowcountry health professionals are emphasizing how everyone can keep their loved ones safe.

South Carolina is no stranger to fatal overdoses, as the state’s former Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 2,000 overdose deaths happened in 2022, with more than half of them tied to prescription drugs.

Specialty pharmacy manager at Dottie’s Pharmacy Joe Longo says drug overdoses take many forms, such as fake pills or through the veins. He says the risk of prescription drug overdose is high because people can fall victim to it by taking too many prescription pills, taking someone else’s or the side effects of mixing medications.

“But what people don’t realize is that common medications, Prozac, Flexeril, Trazodone… these medications can make other medications stronger,” Longo says. “And this is where accidental overdose (happens) and people die.”

Prescription drug abuse can happen anywhere and to anyone, as more than 50% of abuse comes from family or friend medications, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This means sharing prescription medications with a person without a prescription or unsafely storing and disposing of medications.

Safely storing and disposing of prescriptions is critical to overdose prevention. It is recommended to use pill boxes and disposable bags instead of storing medications openly.

Assistant Medical Director at Trident Medical Center Kenneth Perry MD says the hospital’s emergency room regularly sees patients with opioid abuse and overdoses. He says the high number of patients is related to the accessibility of the drugs, as patients suffer from street pills and prescriptions.

Perry says the practice of keeping medications in pharmacy cabinets is common in households, but he recommends not storing medications openly.

“It’s not good to let these medications sit around,” Perry says. “From a safety perspective, we know that children will ultimately only try to go through medicine cabinets, depending on their age. Toddlers may do it without realizing it, and as they get older, having those medications available can become a source of temptation.”

Officials with the South Carolina Department of Public Health say removing unused or expired medications helps keep households safe. Longo advises against throwing away medications in the toilet or in the trash. He says flushing medications contaminates the water supply and dumping them in the trash poses a risk to those who might misuse them.

“If I knew that one of my patients had accidentally overdosed, I would think: Could I have said something? Could I have offered them a drug take back? Could I have offered them a safety bottle… a key box?” says Longo. “You know we think about those things.”

Community drug take-back events allow for proper drug disposal.

Trident Medical Center is hosting “Crush The Crisis” drive-thru take-backs at the following locations:

Moncks Corner Medical Center
- 401 N. Live Oak Drive, Moncks Corner, SC 29461
Emergency in Brighton Park
- 1626 N. Main St., Summerville, SC 29486
Summerville Medical Center
- 295 Midland Pkwy., Summerville, SC 29485

The drive anonymously accepts unused or expired medications from the community.

Local law enforcement accepts tablets, capsules, and patches of Hydrocodone (Norco, Lortab, Vicodin), Oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet), Tramadol (Ultram), Codeine, Fentanyl (Duragesic), Morphine, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid), and Oxymorphone (Opana). Ointments, lotions, drops, liquid medications in leak-proof containers, vape cartridges without batteries, and pet medications are also accepted. Needles, syringes, lancets or liquids are not accepted.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has event locations available on October 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. DEA’S Rally Location Locator is available to help people find the nearest location.

There are also many locations that accept unused medications year-round. Visit the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services map to find these locations across the state on this website.

DPH Health Clinic Locations offer free overdose prevention safety kits. These kits contain fentanyl test strips, naloxone, treatment supplies, and instructions for their use. No appointment or identification is required to receive a kit.