That is my problem too! I was diagnosed 2 months ago. Prescribed CREON (very expensive). I take 1 w/snack, 2w/meals. I haven’t been told anything more. I am googling EPI and have joined this discussion in order to find out what I’m to do. Can any of you offer some suggestions?

I was told.. No need to take one with small snack. Def not with just eating veggies or fruit.
Big thing is to take with fat- whether good or bad fats. Best to avoid made fats but need fats to absorb some nutrients. Nuts, olive oil, grilled meats..,
Avoid processed foods.

My doctor also gave little info on my Creon posting other than take two with each meal and one with each snack. No definition of what constitutes a "snack." I read somewhere (can't remember what website) that a very small snack won't require a dose. You should be able to eat your normal diet. You might want to Google the medication and look for the manufacturer's website - often they will post patient information that "should" come with your prescription but often doesn't. Some websites, like the one for Creon, has a lot of helpful info and some even offer financial assistance programs. The other thing I have been doing is if I eat a mini snack (maybe a handful of popcorn for example) I take an over-the-counter digestive enzyme. I use Pure Encapsulations Digestive Enzymes with HCL, which you can find on Amazon. It's not cheap but way less expensive than the Rx's. I had started taking this after my gall bladder surgery 10 years ago when I noticed I was having some issues digesting certain foods. I am not suggesting using this instead of the Rx's as it doesn't have nearly the amount of Lipase that the Rx's do - and when you eat fat you really need this one!

Wonderful information. Thank you all. It is terrible how doctors don’t help with this lifestyle change. More questions: what about dairy? Fat-free milk? Are some cheeses better than others for EPI? I don’t normally take any over the counter vitamins. Due to malabsorption do I now need to?

I have been on CREON since 2018. Yes to a low fat diet. I am also get a discount pricing thru the CREON maker ABBVIE . I also have insurance and not MEDICARE . But the discount is a $40.oo payment for 3 months. I think you can apply thru the ABBVIE website…hope that helps for you…

Also take the pills as you eat , not all at once but space between foods and pills so the enzymes work on digestion.

Can I ask you what were your symptoms prior to diagnosis ? and did the doctors tell you what was the cause of this condition? I am having some unexplained digestive symptoms that many doctors couldn't diagnose and I am suspecting EPI as a diagnosis.

Severe uncontrolled diarrhea for two weeks before finally going to GI doctor. All I could put in my stomach without problems was chicken broth. Doctor ran many, many blood tests and stool tests and EPI was diagnosed two weeks ago. I’ve repeatedly asked what caused my pancreas to stop producing these enzymes but have gotten no answers. Problem literally began overnight. One day I was fine and the next I couldn’t eat anything without severe problems.

I asked my GI doc the same thing about my perfect pancreas. He also had no answers. After paying a lot of money for Creon that didn’t work often enough, I found I didn’t have EPI. My fecal elastase test showed 72 which is pretty severe. Something else is causing this. I have had many abdominal surgeries after an appendix rupture in 2015. No one knows what caused this but now I have constipation due to a redundant colon.

There are 2 RX meds for EPI- Zenpep and Creon. Creon is cheaper but still expensive. There’s also an OTC enzyme on Amazon (Vital pancreatic enzyme) that has almost the same amount of lipase for digestion of fats, the most important ingredient. I started out using the rxs but have been able to transition to the Vital, one cap with each meal. A low fat diet helps a lot.
I think the recommended dosage for the Rxs is higher than needed for most people.