I'm 18 months post Ivor Lewis where they took 1/2 my stomach and 1/3 my oesophagus. My surgeon has me on Creon 25000mg 2 tablets with each "main" meal i.e. 6 tablets a day.
Given the reduced size of my stomach my surgeon feels that the Creon will help my stomach to break down food more completely and for nutrition to be absorbed more effectively.
Have to be honest I do think that it helps.
I'm interested to hear if anyone else is using it? If so, for how long? Any view of long-term implications ?
Regards
Pete
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Aussiepete
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I take Creon 10000 capsules, one with each meal (when I remember!), and have done for the last five years. (I am 9 years post-op). They are supposed to aid the breakdown and digestion of fat, and are generally prescribed if patients have light coloured, oily stools. I have never heard of, or experienced, any long term side effects from taking them.
I had my stomach removed 4 years ago and been on Creon 25000 tablets for maybe a year now as my pancreas isn't producing sufficient digestive enzymes so I take 1 for every 10g of fat that I eat. My reason for using Creon slightly different to yours but difficult for me determine the amount of fat I am eating each meal although I do use an app on my phone that gives me most info needed.
My husband, David (age 71), has been taking Creon on a daily basis for many years (maybe more than 20 - it's so long ago we can't remember when he began!) He has had no long term adverse effects at all. In fact I 'm sure he wouldn't be alive today without it.
David was losing weight dramatically and suffered terrible diarrhoea and stomach pains. He looked seriously ill and everyone thought it was cancer. But tests proved he was suffering from pancreatic insufficiency (difficult to explain to insurance companies who insist on recording it as pancreatitis). His pancreas no longer produces lipase or amylase, the enzymes which break down fats.
I am not exaggerating when I say that after 24 hours of starting the Creon he looked a changed man. He returned from lunch with bright eyes and a new energy and has not looked back. We call them his miracle pills!
The only problems he has ever encountered are with the self regulation of the dose. He has to assess the likely content of his food and decide how may tablets he must take. At the time Creon was only available in 10000 capsules, and he took 6 at a main meal, 3 with a light meal, and 1 with tea and biscuits (yes that's about 20 tablets a day!). Too few and the diarrhoea was back, too many and he became constipated. But he soon found the right balance.
Today there seems to be a problem with the supply of tablets. He was told that the 10000 strength had been discontinued and moved onto 25000 strength, then ditto onto 40000. This made calculating the dose extremely difficult. Now he's been told it's back to 25000 so he takes 2 with a main meal and 1 with a snack. Not as accurate as before, but he's coping.
I hope that you continue to find improvement with Creon, and generally enjoy better health after your operation.
Thanks for the replies to Pete's post... I've been prescribed it for a over a year, but I couldn't understand why I would get constipated at times so I'd stop taking it... I'm also having motility issues so medications get stuck at times... I have an appointment with a motility specialist next month to see what I can do about taking medications... If taking the creon helps with the tiredness, I'll try it again and see if changing the doses with what I take helps... Thanks!
I thought it might be helpful to remind everyone that there are tags that appear just at the foot of the original posts. These get generated automatically, and you sill see from Aussiepete's post that 'Creon' appears. If you search Creon in the search box you can find out what others have written about it.
Some people do swear by it, and it has been a lifesaver to some (see Sandra's post!). I think it probably depends on the details of the surgery (the more extensive, perhaps it is more likely to have an effect on how digestive enzymes get generated, or not), the individual patient's constitution, and perhaps what the patient eats.
I have not heard of any long term adverse consequences (but no doubt the instruction leaflet will give some details). I know that some people do have to judge the dose very carefully. If your surgeon recommended it, and you think it helps, those are good reasons for continuing to take it, but you can always check it out at your next check-up. Keep an eye out for light brown, oily, floating stools (an indication that you may not be digesting fats properly - steattorhoea), and your vitamin/mineral levels to make sure you are absorbing your proper levels of nutrition, but I do not suppose that there is much harm in reducing the dose very gradually to see how you get on if it bothers you.
I was prescribed it, but the tablets were too big and caused serious pain on swallowing. But I have found I am better of increasing my fat intake, this maybe because I am producing too much bile and no acid.
This information is generalized and not intended as specific medical advice. Consult your healthcare professional before taking or discontinuing any drug or commencing any course of treatment.
Medical warning:
SEVERE. These medicines may interact and cause very harmful effects and are usually not taken together. Contact your healthcare professional (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) for more information.
How the interaction occurs:
When these two medicines are taken together, acarbose and miglitol may be broken down by digestive enzymes (e.g. amylase or pancreatin).
What might happen:
The beneficial effects of acarbose and miglitol may decrease and cause an increase in your blood sugar levels.
What you should do about this interaction:
Contact your doctor as soon as possible about taking these two medicines together. It may be necessary to change you to a different medicine. Your healthcare professionals (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) may already be aware of this drug interaction and may be monitoring you for it. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.
References:
1.Precose (arcarbose) US prescribing information. Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation March, 2015.
2.Glyset (miglitol) US prescribing information. Pharmacia & Upjohn Company September, 2012.
Did you originally find that you had diorrhoea and strange coloured stools ? Did it take a while to get used to the tablets ?any help would be appreciated
I will post my finding once I have more objective data, which I am accumulating.
Two days back I got Creon 25000 twice during meals and one during snack. Dumping syndrome (Hyperglycaemia) has to certain extent vanished, might be too early to quote but sounds promising. Only thing I am coming to find is the right dose for variety of food content. for another post though.
Hi i have been on creon for around three months now and i find it helps me a lot , although i sometimes forget to take it. And i forget to take some with me if i'm going out or visiting !!
I definatley recommend it if your having digestive problems.
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