Have you had an elastase or fecal fat test? Curious as it should give an indication as to how severe your malabsorption is. Usually the prescribe 2 to 3 pills with meals and 1 to 2 with snacks. They used to work for me but no longer work, I have mushy bm everyday now. However, they also help us absorb nutrients.

BTW how are you doing on the prednisone? I ask as I know it can cause pancreatitis to be worse from what Ive been told?

I had that stool test done this past Tuesday and am awaiting the results. I did not end up going on Creon. I am going to finish the prednisone as it is helping a little bit. I am also going to go for another stool test for c-diff and some other things. Such a mystery to unravel to get to the source of this!

I'm on enzymes. Creon 36,000 units with each meal and 12,000 with each snack. It did stop the diarrhea and if you take too much you'll end up with constipation. Everybody is unique and no treatment is exactly the same. There are tons of enzymes out there to try...just experiment and you'll find your best fit. If you have CP there will be times when you're experiencing a flare and nothing will stop the diarrhea but hopefully enzymes can give you some type of normalcy back into your bathroom routine at least. Good luck.

My GI prescribed Creon without even doing sufficient testing...IMO! My Lipase was only slightly elevated one time and Amylase has always been normal, with the exception of the one and only acute attack of pancreatitis 4 years ago. I haven't even been diag with CP yet! I am afraid to take them as common sense would say that they would cause your levels to elevate. Am I wrong in thinking that? I have bouts of horrible nausea, pain and rotate back and forth from being constipated to having diahrrea. I have changed my diet to the bare minimum, no fats at all! I just want my life back.

My situation is very similar to yours. My IM doctor gave me enzymes and sent me to GI. He said it was not pancreatitis but IBS and gave me Linzess and something for nausea. It is helping.

Enzymes (Creon, Zenpep etc.) are usually prescribed by the Lipase ( for fat absorption). Not sure why this enzyme over the other two in the formulas. I think it may be because fat is the big bug-a-boo for folks to absorb and gives us the most trouble.
Ballpark is 4,000 IU ( International Unit of Measure) for every 1 gram of far eaten. I take 20,000 to 40,000 ( 1-2 pills Zenpe) which would allow for 5-10 grams of fat in the meal. I probably don't eat more than 25 grams of fat most days all day. My enzymes do not seem to be working as well at this rate, and I can't seem to have even a fat free snack without taking an enzyme now.
So that is about what I know on enzymes. You can get lower dose enzymes at health food store, and Zenpep comes in a 10,000 IU that you can buy over the counter I think. You might want to try a low dose to see if it helps. Ask your doctor. The enzymes are naturally produced by most bodies, so it isn't something alien to your body, you would just be adjusting the amount available in your gut to use.
Wishing you luck and a lot less suffering!

I take Creon, and can't get along without it. I had extreme diarrhea every time I ate, and couldn't even leave the house it was so bad. As soon as I was put on enzymes, things got way better. No more diarrhea - stools are normalized. I still suffer from bloat and some intestinal pain, but it is not that bad. I have pancreatic insufficiency.

I was on Creon for years. It was so expensive I could not longer take it. I ask for help and they would not give any. I am on Social Securtiy and I have a drug plan. Even with that it puts me in the doughnut hole in May. Then the drug costs me 287.00 a month. I did some research on the amounts and I found on Amazon called
Thorne Dipan-9 and I took it for a month. I really helped with the gas and bloating. it has: Amylase 125,000, Lipase 18,000 and Protease, 115,000 that is the same amount I took with the Creon and its a vegetarian and not the Pig intestines that Creon has. I am not a salesperson but I thought I would share.
I have only a small part of the pancreas and no spleen this is from having so many pancreas attacks, many years and hospitals form John Hopkins and Carolina Medical Center. I am better but still live in pain and deal with this disease every day. Praying for all of you.

Yes prednisone can make you have pancreatitis my doctors were about to give me an extremly high dose untilil my mother who's been in medical school thought it didn't sound right considering your pancreas has a lot to do with hormones and they realised right then i was right they literally had alcoholed my arm an all untill i asked myself so make sure any medication even prescribed to you ask for a second opinion always your life's not worth it an the doctors should already know but seem to not care or realise one mistake can ruin someone's life so I say its up to us to question everything they do or give you at this point.

I almost died last year I stopped eating an had nausea an the shits for about 9 months plus they wrongfully removed my gaubladder causing my symptoms to worsen I started smoking marijuana hash and oil to help me eat anything at this point an it truely saved my life I gained my body weight back now and have been on CREON for 7 months now and its the only thing that's worked and I don't even eat pork but I would highly recommend ZENPEP OR CREON Creons the more effective of the two each day I'm stronger than the last. But want to conceive N wanted to know if anyone's had trouble getting pregnant or had any tips or advice since my pancreatitis I only want to go the natural way if at all possible.