Pancreatic enzymes are natural chemicals that are created by your Pancreas to help your body break down the fats, proteins, and carbohydrates that come from the foods that we eat. Without these enzymes it becomes more difficult for our bodies to properly digest the foods that we eat, which can be a serious problem.
This is why many people who suffer from Pancreatitis rely on Pancreatic Enzyme Supplements for help in making sure that they can properly digest foods.
Contents
How The Pancreas Works
The Pancreas has two important things that it does for our body to work well and be healthy. First it produces insulin that is put into the bloodstream to help regulate our sugars.
The second is the enzymes that it makes and secretes directly from the Pancreas into the Duodenum (first part of the small intestines) to help continue the digestion process on foods that get passed into the small intestines by the stomach.
Normally, a healthy Pancreas will secrete about 8 cups of this pancreatic juice each day. This juice contains both pancreatic enzymes for digestion and bicarbonate to help neutralize stomach acid.
If you are suffering from Pancreatitis it can damage the Pancreas which can slow or even stop these two functions.
Without the insulin your blood sugar goes out of control and you can become Diabetic and possibly need to take insulin shots.
If the Pancreas can’t make enough of the Pancreatic enzymes it can make it difficult for you to get proper nourishment and you may need to take Pancreatic enzyme replacements to help you digest food.
As you probably know, when you are having a Pancreatitis flare up one of the things that Doctors will test for is high levels of Lipase and Amylase in your bloodstream.
But Pancreatic Enzymes are an important part of your digestion process. Pancreatitis can make it hard for your body to produce enough of these enzymes and make it harder to digest food.
Below is a chart that shows the types of Pancreatic enzymes, what they do for your body, and the problems that a shortage of them can cause.
Types of Pancreatic Enzymes and What They Do
| Enzyme Type | Effects | A Shortage May Cause: |
|---|---|---|
| Lipase | Lipase works with bile from the liver to break down fat molecules so they can be absorbed and used by the body. |
|
| Protease | Proteases break down proteins. They help keep the intestine free of parasites such as bacteria, yeast and protozoa. |
|
| Amylase | Amylase breaks down carbohydrates (starch) into sugars which are more easily absorbed by the body. This enzyme is also found in saliva. |
|
What Happens With Pancreatitis
If you have had a severe acute attack of pancreatitis or suffer from the ongoing problems that come with chronic pancreatitis your pancreas may not be able to produce enough of these enzymes to be able to digest the food that you eat.
When this happens it can cause you to have loose, oily, foul-smelling stools (called steatorrhea). The damage that has happened, or in the case of chronic cases, continues to happen could mean that your pancreas can no longer produces enough of the enzymes you need to digest fat and protein.
Could You Need Pancreatitis Enzyme Replacements
If your Pancreas has become damaged from the Pancreatitis to the point that it can not make enough of these enzymes your doctor may decide to prescribe pancreatic enzyme supplement pills to replace those lost enzymes.
Some of the symptoms that you should watch for as an indicator of whether you should talk to your Doctor about pancreatic enzyme insufficiency can include:
- feelings of indigestion after you eat
- stomach cramping after meals
- large amounts of foul smelling gas
- foul smelling stools
- stools that float or are greasy and or fatty
- light-colored stools
- frequent or loose stools
- weight loss
Sources Of Pancreatitis Enzyme Replacement Pills
Enzyme replacement pills can be found in both prescription and non-prescription forms and the different brands that you can find are not identical.
One advantage of the prescription pancreatic enzyme products is that they are regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which will ensure their effectiveness, safety and manufacturing consistency.
But there are also over the counter enzyme supplements that are available without a prescription. These products are not overseen by the FDA and are classified as dietary supplements so they are only required to be safe with no requirements on consistency from batch to batch.
This is why, while these over the counter supplements may be good for some people, they are not recommended for people who have Pancreatitis. We need to have a consistent dosage of the Pancreatic Enzymes that may not be available in over the counter products.
Recommended Dosages
The recommended dosage will be individualized by your Doctor to fit your needs.
Most people usually start of with a dose of around 10,000 to 20,000 lipase units when they have snacks and 20,000 to 40,000 units when they eat meals.
The type and dosage of pancreatic enzymes must be individualized for each person. Most people should start off by taking 10,000 – 20,000 lipase units with snacks and 20,000 – 40,000 lipase units with meals.
As a general rule most of the supplements suggest that you shouldn’t take more than about 1,300 lipase units per pound of weight.
But remember that your Doctor will set the correct dosage for your situation and you should consult them before you make any changes in the dosages that you are taking.
Right now most of the prescription enzymes are made from a porcine (pig) source. If you have allergies or other concerns about pork products you should make sure that you consult your Doctor to see if there are alternative options that could help you.
Your Doctor may also prescribe a medication to reduce the acid from your stomach to help make the pancreatic enzymes more effective. But not all pancreatic enzyme products need this so again, make sure that you talk to your Doctor or a dietician about whether or not you need acid-reducing medication.
Tips For Taking Pancreatic Enzymes
When I was prescribed Creon – a popular pancreatic enzyme product – they were just given to me without any instructions on how to take them so when I took them randomly they upset my stomach.
What I found was that if I took them on an empty stomach without eating within a few minutes, or if I took them after I ate and my stomach was full, that I was soon in almost as much pain as if I was having a pancreatic attack.
Later, after some trial and error and on-line research I found out the proper way to take these supplements. To get the best results from them you have to make sure that you are using them correctly.
So here are some tips to get the benefits of pancreatic enzymes while at the same time limiting the side affects:
- You should take the enzymes every time that you have a meal or snack that contains fat; especially those with meat, dairy, bread or desserts.
- When you start taking them for the first time start with the smallest dose necessary. You can the adjust the amount that you take according to your needs
- Remember that the dosage you need may require changing as time goes by but always do so with your Doctors supervision.
- Make sure that you take the enzymes at the beginning of the meal or snack. This is very important for proper enzyme functioning and will reduce the chances of upsetting your stomach.
- When you are taking multiple enzymes you can take some when you start eating and the rest as you eat so they are well mixed with the food you are eating.
- Enzymes will usually not work if you forget to take them or if you take them at the end of the meal/snack.
- Swallow the tablets or capsules intact with a little water at mealtimes. Unless your Doctor tells you differently, the supplements should never be crushed or chewed.
- Swallow the pancreatic enzymes as soon as you put them in your mouth. There are some that will break down if in your mouth too long and cause irritation to the mouth tissue. If swallowing the pill or capsule is a problem you can open a capsule and stir it in with something like applesauce to help you swallow them. Make sure that your Doctor knows if you have this problem and he/she may be able to give you an alternative supplement.
- Don’t mix the contents of the capsules with dairy products before you swallow them since the higher pH from things like milk or yogurt could kill the enzyme activity before it reaches your stomach.
- Pancreatic enzymes also may have reduced effectiveness if you take them with a calcium or magnesium antacid so talk to your Doctor if you are taking things for upset stomach and want to try the Pancreatic Enzymes.
Pancreatic Enzyme Side Effects
There can be some side effects that can happen if you choose to take these supplements.
The single most common side effect that you may experience when you take pancreatic enzymes is constipation.
Other potential side effects that you might experience but that are less common include things like nausea, abdominal cramps or diarrhea.
You should stop using these pancreatic enzymes and consult your Doctor if these side effects become too big of a problem or if there are any signs of hypersensitivity or allergic reactions to them.
These pancreatic enzymes are made using pork products so if you have any allergies or other issues with pork products you should talk to your Doctor to find another product that is not made using pork.
Concluding Thoughts
If taken properly, pancreatic enzymes can be helpful for some people in dealing with one of the major side effects of Pancreatitis, and that is the difficulty in digesting food.
But you need to make sure that you are taking the right type of supplements and most importantly, that you are taking them correctly. You should make sure that you take the supplements in the way that your Doctor prescribes them and only make changes after consulting your Doctor.
Don’t take any over the counter supplements that claim to supply you with these pancreatic enzymes.
It is important that you get your supplements prescribed to you by your Doctor so that you can make sure that you get supplements that are controlled and manufactured in a uniform manner so you know that you are getting the same amounts of the enzymes every time that you take them.
Taken correctly these pancreatic enzymes can be a useful tool in helping you deal with the side effects of Pancreatitis.
I personally don’t take these supplements though. My experience was that they gave me gas and upset my stomach – probably mostly because I was never instructed in the right way to take them. So if you take them it is important that you take them properly for them to work for you.
I belong to a several different groups on facebook and maintain my own page there. I’ve seen and talked to a number of people who use these Pancreatic Enzymes Supplements and get very good results from them.
All of us are in different stages of this disease so I think that it is important to have as much knowledge as possible about the tools that we have to deal with Pancreatitis and live as normal a life as possible.
These pancreatic enzymes are a good example of a tool that we may need that could make a big difference in dealing with the problem of proper digestion of the foods that we eat.
Let me know what you think of this article in the comment section below or go to my facebook page and leave a post there. I’d love to hear what your experiences and thoughts on this subject.
Thanks for this useful information. I have pancreatic enzyme deficiency as a result of Neuro endocrine cancer….a rare disease. I am allergic to pork. Can you guide me to any pharmacy grade enzyme replacements that are not porcine? I have failed in my quest to find them and need to!