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Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

Digestive Health | Last Active: Apr 10 1:36pm | Replies (40)

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@frannee

My CREON prescription is about to run out. The pharmacy is out of stock. Can I substitute Vital enzymes until I pharmacy obtains more CREON? The VITAL ones are not enteric coated. Does that mean they will dissolve before reaching pancreas?

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Replies to "My CREON prescription is about to run out. The pharmacy is out of stock. Can I..."

Your pharmacy should be able to order Creon and get it the next business day. I'd pursue that first. I'm not a medical practitioner or an expert by any means but if all else fails I'd take the Vital Nutrients supplement - but make sure you take enough capsules to match your Creon dose. I don't know if they will dissolve before reaching your small intestine, which is where you need the digestive enzymes. Ask your pharmacist if they know whether these will work as a replacement until you can get your Creon. And let the rest of us know what you find out 🙂

I put in a refill order for my Creon on 12/26. There was a low stock issue with the manufacturer and I just received my order on 1/10.

Here is the difference between the enteric coated Rx brand and the non-enteric coated OTC brands like Vital Nutrients:

The enteric pancrealipase has some is coated so it becomes activated after 30 minutes. This is to provide adequate availability of enzymes throughout the meal.

The non-enteric coated brands become active in the alkaline pH of the intestine and will last 15 minutes. The OTC brand generally contain less lipase than the Rx brands so it is likely more capsules may be required for optimizing. And with taking multiple capsules, stagger the time in dosing. This will ensure sufficient enzymes when eating meals longer than 15 minutes. I’ve talked with both Registered Dietitians and patients using OTC brands and find them equally effective in performance and significantly cheaper than Rx brands.