Is anyone taking Zenpep rather than Creon? If so what foods work?

My husband was also put on Zenpep and we are wondering if Creon would work better. He cannot put any weight back on. He had Whipple surgery and is currently doing Chemo. He takes (4) capsules-40,000IU with meals and (1 or 2)capsules with snacks. He originally started at lower IU doses. Contacting our Dr. to discuss further. Will let you know any helpful updates. Wishing you well.

Thank you. I take the same dosage and can’t understand why I am not gaining. Mayo is helpful with advice, but so far, nothing works. I feel like I’m experimenting on my own.

Doesn't hurt to try and see if Creon is any better.

My doctor said don’t switch. I’ll have to get more information from her.

Thank you for your response. Gives me another idea.

My husband had Whipple and just completed 6 mths of chemo. He's on Creon. I'm looking for suggestions re gaining weight. He's had a healthy diet throughout, but no weight gain.

Is there a significant difference in the makeup of the two products? Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Nice summary of Zenpep vs Creon here:
https://www.nicerx.com/compare/zenpep-vs-creon/
Looks like all the same ingredients (lipase, protease, amylase) in very similar proportions, so I would not expect much difference in results from the same dosage (unless the extended release behavior is significantly different).

You could dig a little deeper into drug interactions and see if something else in your diet is nullifying or potentiating the effect of your enzymes. As always, be aware of (potential) diabetes' impact on nutrient absorption.

Calorie-dense foods (nut butters and protein bars/shakes/smoothies) might help, as long as their fat content doesn't keep you in the bathroom all day.

One could be a little different than another in an individual person. These drugs are "biologics" so no generic and the products are different than other drugs in making comparisons.

Thank you. I take my glucose once a week at rising, always between 88 and 101. The GI people threw me out saying if my glucose goes to 120, see my PCP.

I’m very careful re: sugar, fat and sodium. My foods and calories seem to be fine. I’m small (93 lbs is my usual weight) so to be so down is scary. With part of my stomach gone and 18 inches of colon gone from operation 2006, it seems I can’t hold on to the nutrients.

I’ll look into protein bars. I’ve become an expert label reader.

I appreciate your answer. Mayo is going to do a breathe test looking for anything that might be impacting my weight. I hired a personal trainer to rebuild my muscles. One day at a time!

It really is a crap shoot. At first I took Creon and it hit me like hitting oil. The flow was unbelievable. My oncologist said there was nothing else he could do. My team leader at Mayo put me on Zenpep which does produce normal stool. Downside is something is missing. I’m having a breathe test in two weeks which might produce some information. I will say Mayo is working on solving this. Otherwise, I am strong, cancer free and can do whatever I need to do. Emotionally, though, the weight issue brings me down.