Creon, made simple.
Creon replaces the digestive enzymes that your pancreas is not making enough of. Used right, it lets your body absorb food properly again. The key is one habit: take it with everything you eat. This guide explains how. A Mississippi pharmacist wrote it for you.
This guide is here to teach you. It is not medical advice, and it does not replace your doctor or pharmacist. Always do what your doctor tells you, and ask a pharmacist before you change how you take any medicine.
Print this guide for your fridgeYour 60 second Creon safety checklist
- Take it with every meal and snack.Creon only works when it is taken with food, beginning with the first bites.
- Know your meal and snack doses.The prescribed snack dose may differ from the meal dose. Ask about long meals and nutritional drinks too.
- Swallow capsules and beads intact.Swallow the capsule whole. Do not crush or chew the capsule or the delayed release beads.
- Sprinkle only as approved.If approved by your care team: open the capsule, sprinkle the intact beads on a small amount of acidic soft food, swallow immediately without chewing, and follow with water or juice. Do not save the mixture.
- Do not switch strengths or products.Pancreatic enzyme products are not interchangeable, and one capsule strength can hold very different lipase units from another. Check both the product and the lipase unit strength.
- Report persistent digestive symptoms.Oily or floating stool, continued diarrhea, bloating, weight loss, poor growth in a child, or ongoing pain mean the plan needs review.
What Creon is and why your doctor gave it to you
Creon is a medicine that replaces digestive enzymes. Its other name is pancrelipase.
Your pancreas normally makes enzymes that break food down into pieces small enough for your body to absorb. Some conditions, like chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, or having had pancreas surgery, mean the pancreas cannot make enough of those enzymes. This is called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
Without enough enzymes, food, especially fat, passes through without being absorbed. That leads to greasy stools, stomach pain, weight loss, and missing nutrition. Creon supplies the enzymes your pancreas cannot.
The simple version: Creon is the missing digestive enzymes in a capsule. Taken with your food, it lets your body break that food down and actually absorb it.
How Creon works
Creon capsules contain three kinds of enzyme: one that breaks down fat, one that breaks down protein, and one that breaks down carbohydrate. They are the same kinds of enzyme a healthy pancreas makes.
The capsule is specially coated so the enzymes survive your stomach acid and are released further down, in the small intestine, which is where most digestion happens.
When you swallow Creon with food, the enzymes are released right alongside that food and get to work breaking it down. That is exactly why timing with meals is everything: the enzymes and the food have to arrive together.
Your dose
Creon comes as capsules in several strengths. Your dose is worked out by your care team based on your body weight and the size of your meals, and it is measured in enzyme units, not in a simple number of capsules. Because of that, this page will not tell you a dose. Your pharmacist and your care team will translate your prescription into exactly how many capsules to take with a meal and with a snack.
One important point: Creon is not interchangeable with other pancreatic enzyme products. Other brands are not the same and cannot be swapped in without your doctor's say-so. Always get the exact product you were prescribed.
Swallow the capsules whole with plenty of liquid. Do not crush or chew them. If a capsule cannot be swallowed, it can be opened and the contents sprinkled onto a small amount of soft, slightly acidic food like applesauce, then taken right away. Do not mix it into milk.
Timing, and what to do if you miss a dose
Creon is taken with food, every time you eat. That means with every meal, and with every snack. Take it beginning with the first bites, so the enzymes and the food move together. For a long meal or a nutritional drink, ask your care team how to split the dose.
A snack usually takes a smaller dose than a full meal, and your care team will tell you that amount.
If you miss a dose:
- If you finish a meal and realize you forgot Creon, and the meal is well over, skip that dose. The enzymes need to be taken with the food.
- Take your normal dose with your next meal or snack.
- Never take a double dose to make up for a missed one.
- If you find you are often forgetting, tell your pharmacist, we can help build a routine that sticks.
Side effects, what is normal and what is not
Common, and usually mild.
- Stomach pain or cramping.
- Loose stools, nausea, or gas.
- Some change in weight. Gaining weight back is often a sign the medicine is working and you are absorbing food again.
Call your doctor if you notice:
- Stools that are still greasy, pale, foul-smelling, or floating. This can mean your dose is not high enough yet.
- Joint pain or a gout flare, which can happen with higher doses.
- Poor weight gain, especially in a child.
Go to the emergency room right away if:
- You have severe or worsening stomach pain, repeated vomiting, marked belly swelling, severe constipation, or you cannot pass stool or gas. These urgent bowel symptoms are different from ordinary digestive complaints.
- A child on a higher dose has severe stomach pain or a swollen, bloated belly. In children, very high enzyme doses have rarely caused a serious bowel problem.
- You have signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face or throat or trouble breathing.
What to be careful with
Creon does not have many drug interactions, but a few things are worth knowing.
Creon is made from pig pancreas. For most people that is simply a fact about the source. But if you avoid pork for religious, ethical, or dietary reasons, this is something to talk about openly with your doctor before starting, so the decision is yours and is informed.
Because Creon contains a natural substance called purines, very high doses can raise the uric acid in your blood. If you have gout, make sure your doctor knows. Tell your doctor as well about any bowel surgery or known bowel narrowing. And never increase the dose on your own: very high enzyme doses have been linked to a rare bowel scarring problem called fibrosing colonopathy, particularly in people with cystic fibrosis.
The simple rule: tell your pharmacist about every medicine and supplement you take. And never switch to a different enzyme brand on your own, the products are not interchangeable.
What it costs
The cost is different for every person, because every insurance plan is different.
Here is the honest way to find your price. If you pay cash, call Fairview and we will give you a price for your situation. If you have private insurance, there may be a coupon or a savings program from the maker of the drug that helps lower your cost, and we will check if one is available for you. The best step is to let a pharmacist look at your plan. We do this for every patient.
Do not let cost make you skip doses. Call us first. There is almost always something we can do.
Availability and insurance coverage can change. Fairview will check whether an FDA approved lower cost alternative, a manufacturer savings program, an insurance exception, or another cost saving option is available for your specific prescription.
What should be checked
Creon works best alongside some regular checks that confirm your dose is right.
Your doctor should check, now and then:
- Your weight, and for a child, growth, since steady gain shows the medicine is working.
- Whether your stools have improved, or are still greasy, which can mean the dose needs to go up.
- Your nutrition and vitamin levels.
- Your uric acid, if you have gout or take a higher dose.
Your pharmacist should:
- Translate your enzyme-unit prescription into exactly how many capsules per meal and per snack.
- Make sure you always get the exact Creon product, not a different brand.
- Help you build a take-it-with-every-meal routine.
- Help with cost and assistance programs.
At Fairview, we make sure every Creon patient knows exactly how many capsules to take with a meal and with a snack. If a refill is running late, we call you.
Special situations
Every meal and every snack.
This is the heart of using Creon well. The enzymes only help with food they are taken alongside. Skip Creon at a snack, and that snack is not digested properly. Build the habit: nothing goes in without Creon, except plain drinks like water.
Do not switch brands.
Creon is not interchangeable with other pancreatic enzyme products. Other brands are different and dosed differently. If a pharmacy ever offers a substitute, do not accept it without checking with your prescriber. Always get the exact product you were prescribed.
It is made from pork.
Creon comes from pig pancreas. If you avoid pork for religious, ethical, or dietary reasons, talk this through with your doctor before starting. It is a real and reasonable conversation to have, and your care team can help you weigh it.
Opening the capsule.
Only when approved by your care team: open the capsule and sprinkle the intact beads onto a small spoonful of soft, slightly acidic food like applesauce. Swallow immediately without chewing, then follow with water or juice. Do not save the mixture for later, do not crush or chew the beads, and do not mix the beads into milk, infant formula, or breast milk.
Cost should never be the reason you stop.
There is no generic for Creon, but there is a manufacturer support program that can bring the cost down a lot for many people, and an assistance program for those with limited income. If cost is a worry, call Fairview before you cut back on doses.
How Fairview helps Creon patients
When you fill Creon at Fairview, here is what you get. This is normal care for us, not something extra.
At your first fill:
- We translate your dose into how many capsules per meal and per snack.
- We help you set up a take-it-with-every-meal routine.
- We make sure you always get the exact Creon product.
- We talk through cost and help you find any program you qualify for.
At every refill:
- We confirm your dose still matches your prescription.
- We check that you are refilling on time.
- We answer any new questions before you leave.
On our own, without being asked:
- If a refill is late, we call you.
- We never substitute a different enzyme brand without your prescriber.
- We check your cost at every fill to keep it as low as possible.
Questions people ask about Creon
Creon replaces digestive enzymes your pancreas is not making enough of. Without them, your body cannot properly break down food, which leads to greasy stools, stomach pain, and poor nutrition.
Related guides
Have a question about your Creon? Ask a pharmacist who knows it well.
Creon gives your body back the ability to use the food you eat. The habit that makes it work is simple: take it with everything. Fairview will help you build that habit and keep the cost manageable. If something made you wonder, ask us.