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Doctor prescribed pills that killed his son
A Tampa doctor may be the state's biggest prescriber. His son's death won't change that.
By ABBIE VANSICKLE, Times staff writer
Published February 24, 2008
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Dr. John Rew provides powerful painkillers to those who hurt. He prescribes narcotics so liberally, in fact, that he believes police are watching. Rew has no plans to change, even after he prescribed a drug that killed his own son. - - - Rew's office is tucked in a strip mall on Busch Boulevard, a road one Tampa police captain calls Hollywood Boulevard because of all the pain clinics. Born in Iowa, Rew, 82, a calm and polite man, became a doctor after military service. He trained as an anesthesiologist. He began practicing in Tampa in 1960 and later opened a solo practice. "I don't do anything that's illegal," he says. "I don't sell drugs. I don't collaborate with any pharmacies. I think you could probably consider this a squeaky clean office." An agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration visited the clinic about six months ago, Rew says. Rew, who has no disciplinary history with the state, says the agent told him that he was the state's top prescriber of narcotics. "I think I'm probably rather well known for that," he says. "That word gets around. I'm fairly liberal with the use of narcotics. My point is that you have to give them enough or it's not worth it." The DEA declined to comment on Rew. Rew cites major studies that say many of the chronic pain patients in the United States are underprescribed. He says his 400 patients are not among those, and he's proud of that. Rew says he stops treating patients who overdose or doctor-shop. He only takes referrals. He estimated 10 of his patients have died of overdoses. - - - Dr. Rew's son Tim had struggled with drugs and alcohol for years. His troubles began at Dade City High School in Pasco County, where he ran with a bad crowd. He moved to California in the 1970s, and his drug use became worse, Dr. Rew says. "He lost a business, he tried the patience of people in his life. It took him down. He'd get back up but he wasn't able to stay sober," says Tim's sister, Rebecca Rew Hornbuckle. His family believes he wanted to get clean. "He did struggle to get sober," Hornbuckle says. "He had a lot of people in his life who loved him very much. He was not a down-and-out person. He had a lot to live for." In May 2006, Tim, 48, was visiting his father in Tampa. A car wreck sent him to the hospital with an arm injury. The next day, Tim told his father the hospital wouldn't give him painkillers to last until he returned to New Jersey, where he worked for J.C. Penney. Tim told his father he was clean. Dr. Rew believed him. He prescribed 120 pills of the painkiller Roxicodone. Later that day, Tim Rew was found dead in bed of an overdose of three painkillers, including oxycodone, the active ingredient in Roxicodone. The other drugs causing his death were morphine, codeine and Xanax. Dr. Rew says he wouldn't have prescribed the pills if he had known his son was still struggling with addiction. But he says his son is to blame for his death. Dr. Rew won't let that tragedy alter his principles about prescribing pills to people with chronic pain. "Tim was a thoughtless, impulsive person who just did things without thinking what the consequences would be," he says. Tim's sister agrees. "I blame Tim," she says. "I just think he made a really bad choice."
[Last modified February 25, 2008, 11:05:34]
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by Jessica
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03/10/08 12:47 PM
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How can you as a Dr and a father not blame yourself? Once an addict always an addict no matter how long you've been sober or clean! Why in Gods name would you write 120 roxy to a known addict. The father may not have killed him but he sure helped.
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by Snoz
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03/09/08 02:55 PM
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Another angle on "not my job!" The Doc wouldn't even flinch after he lost his own son. "Hey, it's not my job to detrmine if he's still abusing." If Doctors won't take responsibility for curbing abuse, who will? Docs go to med school, not their patien
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by Carl
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03/03/08 06:05 AM
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First 120 pills is a month supply (take one to two pills every 4 to 6 hours as needed for pain), you dont know how long his sone was going to be in TB until he got back to NJ. The son died not from the Dr. but because he had morphine- codeine-xanax R
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by SAM
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03/01/08 10:01 AM
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TO THE D.E.A.,YOU PEOPLE MUST NOT HAVE WATCHED A LOVED ONE DIE OF CANCER.TO SEE THE EXTREME PAIN THEY ARE IN.IT IS TERRIBLE TO SEE SOME ONE IN SO MUCH PAIN!LET'S NOT LET YOUR SCHOOLING GO TO WASTE.HAVE A GOOD DAY.
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by SAM
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03/01/08 09:54 AM
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I AM WRITING TO SAY THAT I GIVE DR. REW LOT'S OF CREDIT.HE MUST BE A OUTSTANDING DR.HE PROBABLY IS NOT EVEN IN PAIN HIMSELF,BUT HE RELILES THE PAIN OF OTHER PEOPLE.TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES,YOUR, YOUR OWN AUTHOR OF
YOUR DESTINATION!
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by victim of the DEA
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02/29/08 12:19 PM
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Alot of people suffer due to these doctors shoppers. I personally suffer from mutiple medical problems that make it hard to live without pain medication.Most of these people writing these negative comments must be lucky enough to good health .
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by Wife of Addict thanks help of
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02/26/08 07:44 PM
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Can this DR be stopped?? Anyone going to him are addicts and he knows it! WHY else does he prescribe his patients the ENORMOUS amount of pills EACH MONTH
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by Spouse of addict and patient
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02/26/08 07:42 PM
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This doctor states he doesnt collaborate with any pharmacies..ASK HIM Why can you only turn your presricption into only ONE shady Tampa Pharmarcy
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by non addict
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02/26/08 02:41 PM
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This doctor makes me sick...
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by Aware4Autism
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02/26/08 11:23 AM
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"Dr. Rew says he wouldn't have prescribed the pills if he had known his son was still struggling with addiction. "
As a doctor, you should have known, once an addict, always an addict.
Dr Rew, you are the poster child for irresponbility.
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by heather
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02/25/08 09:08 PM
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Once a person struggles with addiction, they always struggle with addiction. I question your ethics as a doctor. First do no harm. Were 120 roxicodones the safest thing to give your patient, your own son, who has an addiction history?
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