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Zenpep side effects - ideas?
So after 2.5 years of taking every test known to humans. Go to a great GI doctor in Dallas and told her the same thing I told all the other drs. And boom she puts me on zenpep. Yes I have lost 12 lbs, yes I feel like my muscles are now getting proteins. But I have other side affects. I am not sure from MEC or type off food. Like I just ate a sandwich and my whole body is on fire. Some times I get rashes. My body still aches but not as bad before meds. And tramadol does nothing to help. Anyone with ideas. I haven’t taken hydros in 3-4 years but seems like it would help. But it’s not worth the effort to get a dr to write?????
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It certainly sounds like the Zenpep may be helping your digestion and absorption, especially since you're noticing improvement in your muscles and some of the body aches. After losing 12 pounds, getting nutrition absorbed again is important.
However, the whole-body burning and intermittent rashes would concern me enough to contact the GI doctor who prescribed Zenpep. Zenpep can cause allergic reactions in some people, and it's important to figure out whether you're reacting to the medication or to something you're eating.
I would keep a simple diary for a few days—what you ate, how much Zenpep you took, when you took it, and exactly when the burning or rash started. That may help your doctor determine whether it's the Zenpep, a particular food, or something else.
I wouldn't jump back to hydrocodone until the cause of the pain is understood. If this is an allergic or inflammatory reaction, stronger pain medication could mask the symptoms without treating what's causing them.
Most importantly, if the rash or burning is accompanied by swelling of your lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing, wheezing, dizziness, or feeling like you're going to pass out, get emergency help immediately.
The fact that Zenpep seems to be improving your digestion is encouraging. You may simply need the dose adjusted or possibly a different pancreatic enzyme such as Creon, but that's something I'd discuss with your GI doctor rather than stopping or changing it on your own.
@venture so you have to eat in 20 minutes? What happens if you take longer to eat? Sometimes I eat slow even if it’s not a lot could this be reason it’s not working for me?
20 minutes is The typical time your digestive system moves food from stomach to small intestine… that’s when and where the pills start working. Any food after that may not get best possible digestion because the enzymes may not come in contact with the food. My experience with spacing out the 5 pills I take doesn’t work quite as well as taking them all during the first few bites. I have determined this by monitoring my glucose and how quickly it goes up and to what height.
My GI has me take one right when I start eating and then the second pill halfway through the meal. Granted I have multiple GI issues besides PEI, so I'm not sure if that is why I was instructed to take it this way
@szelisk that is the proper way to take it. No food it moves too fast, too much food and it is too late.
Trial and error has proven this out in my usage.
I was diagnosed with EPI 5 months ago. It took the PA a few weeks to diagnose it then put me on 6400 units of Crean and said “you’re all set, come back in a year.” Needless to say I switched doctors. It’s in control now with 20000 units of Zenpep. Has anyone tried an OTC(over the counter drug) with the same enzymes that works as good? Creon and Zenpep are so expensive and I don’t qualify for any assistance.
@dorjod1404 I take Creon., massive doses.
There currently are no comparable OTC enzymes that would actually help with my EPI. One of the issues is the capsules used for Zen-pep or Creon. The capsules are made to survive until it gets to the portion of your digestive system that uses those enzymes (i really hate taking any medication, personally).
Yeah, the cost is extreme for both of these medications.
@dorjod1404 I use these as a much more affordable substitute, gastro doctor has approved. Because the dosage is somewhat less than the Zenpep, I can also manage how much I think I need, depending on what I am eating. Good luck, it took me 2 years of agony to find this solution, but it works for me.
Thank you for the information.
I guess I was lucky, it only took 6 weeks for me. I had severe diarrhea every time I ate. Once I started on Creon it fixed my problem within a few days. Do you have the same symptoms and if so does the Pure take care of it and how long did it take?
The key issue is the capsules make it thru the stomach. Pancreatic enzymes die when they meet stomach acid. Your pancreas releases enzymes at the very beginning of the digestive tract, aka beginning small intestine not stomach. I am seeing $109 for 180 pills Great info