I'm so glad the creon is working for you. Did you have steatorrhea too. ? If so did it help with that and how long did it take for results to show with that problem?

WooooHooo David! That's great news :)

Yesterday ws a VERY stressful, although it was ALL positive, and I did have to resort to a pain pill, but the rest is all good. Since I am a vegetarian I do not have enough excess fat to cause any problems, other than the "fragrance". I did over-indulge with some regular cheese and crackers, normally I eat low-fat cheese. Now I know better!
Curious though, can you take TOO MUCH CREON? Im going through about 12 a day.

David I thought about you on Tuesday when my pancreas doc decided to start me on enzymes. He put me on Creon. I thought that was interresting since I had 1st read about creon because of your post on here.

I noticed it helping me with the very 1st dose. Ive only been on it for 2 days but already I dont wanna go without it. I believe it is helping me absorb in the nutrients in the food I eat now. That is a good thing because now my body dont crave food in vane attempts to try and eat more to find that nutrient.. My appitite is actually decreased. The creon seems to be helping me not have that ever dreaded diabolical much hated chronic-butt-wiping-syndrome that pancreatitis and other pancreas issues cause.

Ive had signs of pancreas issues all of my life. If only a doc would have put me on enzymes when I was a child then maybe Id not be as unhealthy now.

WoooooHooooooo for creon!

Ive GAINED 5 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After losing 37 since last November! Such a simply fix for my version of our problem.

Thanks again to EVERYONE for their thoughts and remarks.

I can really agree that Creon is good stuff. I forgot to take my creon pills before a meal and I suffered for it. My body right away went back to its old self and could not digest the food well which meant I had those terrible bathroom troubles and pain all over my digestive track and weakness like crazy.

Creon must be good for both mild and sever chronic pancreatitis. I only have it very mildly but I still need enzymes. So please if any of you have troubles with food consider talking to your doctor about trying enzymes.

Iam on Creon and I had the whipple surgery 1 year ago yesterday. I take 3creon with each meal, 2 with each snack. If you are going to eat greasy food you probably should add one or two more pills. I take them just as I begin to eat. I was told never to open them or put them in a empty stomach because of the way they work they can do damage. Check with your dr. about that.....I was told this is a fairly new med so maybe all doctors are not aware of how or why it works. I get cramps in my stomach when I need food in my stomach. I didn't know this at first, I just found that even tho I didn't feel hungry, if I had a snack or somthing lite to eat after taking creon and food the cramps went away. I lost 60 lbs after my operation and that is the reason I was put on creon. I have stopped losing weight. I gained about 1-2 lbs. in a month or so although I was told I might not gain much weight back, it is more important for me to not lose any more weight. Hope some of this info helps one of you out there. Good luck.

Kathleen that is interresting about taking an extra creon when eating certain foods. I had wondered about that. Thank you for sharing :)

I am now on the Creon 24,000....and I do take one when I start feeling a little off, usually with some crackers. 2 b3fore a meal and sometimes one after, depends on how much and what Ive been eating. And for Kathleen...Creon is actually an Enzyme, its been around for a while and can be taken as a pill or to act faster in your stomach, the capsule can be open and spead on what your eating...fair warning..IT TASTE TERRIBLE, if you DO eat it out of the capsule eat some on jam or jelly to help kill the taste!

So glad you're feeling better! What is it with GI doctors dismissing your pain? They should have their licenses revoked. I am lucky enough to have a GOOD GI doctor who knows what he's doing. It's bad enough to be in horrible pain without having medical "professionals" decide it's a psychological issue.
Enzymes have helped me a lot. Hope you continue to get stronger.

I was taking viokase16, at first it was a miracle, my energy levels went up and I began gaining weight. The energy boost feeling quickly tapered off and I don't notice anything save for the fact I am maintaining my weight. The drug company is no longer covering viokase16 at all, so I am waiting for a suitable replacement from a GI.
I went through 3 yrs of pain without relief, but after pressing my doctor I get morphine ER 3x a day.....it gave me a life back...the bumps in the road driving were killing me, now it's ok. Don't give up and if your doc isn't listening.....get one who does.....life's too short to be in pain everyday!

I can't tell you how many times my local hospital dismissed my pain and sent me home with nothing, but eventually after much testing and a referral to a pancreatologist, I got a firm diagnosis. My local hospital and I have met many times now, and most ER doctors know me on site and they really try to get me in quick. They get me an IV and morphine stat. It may be hard to believe sometimes, but most doctors (not all), feel sorry for people with this condition and once they are sure you're not just another drug seeker, they are pretty good to try and ease the pain.

DavidKelly,

I just wanted an update from you and anyone else on the enzymes and how they're working and what dose you're taking. I was on pancrelipase for awhile but it cost me so much I switched to over the counter stuff... KAL brand Ultra Pancreatin (one of these and also 3 un-enteric coated pills from the same company) per meal. I skipped the Ultra Pancreatin pill today and boy do I feel shitty. A slight fever, pain at the same pancreas area I always have, and I'm cold. I'm never usually cold.

So... I guess they're working a bit anyway.... I usually take them all right when I start eating. I'm at about 15g of fat a day diet.

Doctor prescribed creon 36000 3/2times day. Fortunately abbievie isn’t helping me with this. Good days and bad days. Tried different dosages, can’t seem to find the right place to stop the bloating, gas and loose stools. I’m a very active person and this definitely affects my life. A full night sleep is very rare. This started 7 months ago it took 4 months for them to discover the pancreatitis. I am not a drinker and it seems that everyone assumes I’m an alcoholic. Autoimmune problems are common in my family and I finally found a doctor who recognized this as my problem.

Hello,
I'm new to the Pancreatitis world, just been diagnosed a couple of weeks ago my doctor believes I may have chronic Pancreatitis, Only done a TeleHealth with him, did the stool test, results showed my Pancreas is producing enough digestive enzymes. So he prescribed Creon (looking for another drug, cost factor), The Creon worked immediately for me. My doctor's nurse said to take 30 mins before a meal but when I visited the Creon site they say to take right when you have a meal, that the Creon worked within the food in your stomach.
I hope this helps you. I am searching for another drug with a better price point, but for now I'm trying to learn how to control this.