Creon and Abdominal Pain: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 19, 2020

For Chronic Pancreatitis "First, this drug is EXPENSIVE. My regular insurance denied paying for it 3 times. I had to have my doctor fight with them on the phone, saying this is the ONLY current viable drug for Pancreatic insufficiency. They still complained. My stomach was in very bad pain, loose stool, and extreme bloating. After ONE day of use (5 pills of 12000 units), my bloating reduced by 50%. The frequency of loose stool is down to only once a day vs 3-4 times a day pre-Creon. The pain is beginning to improve. HOWEVER, this drug has given me one of the RARE side effects listed in warnings, 'HIVES'. My back won't stop itching. UGHH. So now I have to decide between abdominal pain all day or having itching all day. I have to ask the doctor for anti-itch pills now. ANYONE ELSE GET ITCHING?"

• Gri...
• April 3, 2021

For Pancreatic Exocrine Dysfunction "I am 56 years old with pancreatic cancer. After 3 days of taking Creon, I thought I was going to die. Except for diarrhea, I experienced every side effect on the list. Excruciating abdominal pain, constipation, bloating, headache, etc. On a scale of 10, my pain was at 10. My husband, who is a nurse, was puzzled, and I realized that the only thing I had changed was that medication. I stopped taking it immediately, and it took me a week to recover. Not blaming anybody, but if it happens to you, stop taking it immediately and talk to your doctor."

• mot...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 5, 2019

For Pancreatic Exocrine Dysfunction "Whether it was the medicine or not, I had abdominal pain after taking Creon for 2 months. I cut the dosage back, had more tests run on my abdomen, which showed nothing. I have been taking a dosing capsule of 24,000 units with each meal since February and have had no side effects. No more runny stools or frequent trips to the restroom. I have an appointment and lab work later this month."

• Lea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 4, 2021

For Cystic Fibrosis "Was given this med due to chronic diarrhea. PCP wanted to see if it would help with it. The same night I took it, I started having horrible mid to upper back pain, then pain along the left side that went into the abdomen. I went to the ER and told them about the meds, and they ran tests and were unsure. I got labs before I left that showed an infection in the blood, so now being treated for this rare infection with high-dose antibiotics. Make sure to get labs for this since the virus can be overlooked if they're not familiar with Creon."