Is there such a thing as too many enzymes?

[rosesixtyfive]

Hi, My son has never been tested to see if he is getting the right amount of enzymes. He is doing very well with Creon 6000 six pills with each meal and snack. I have never backed off to see if he needed less. This is the number he landed on at 1 years old...but looking back I think maybe his stools were loose because he was a baby and their bowel movements are unpredictable. So, my question is, if he is taking too many enzymes could it do damage? Has anyone ever been advised by their CF docs not to take too much? No one has ever said anything to us, but seems to just say okay, six enzymes it is then. Thanks, rosesixtyfive, mother of Sam, ddf508, 3 years old

 

[nmw0615]

A few months ago the nutritionist talked about my dose being a little high, and she tried to bring the dose down. I tried it and my digestive system became a mess. I definitely think it can be possible to take too many, so talking to your team would be a good idea.

 

[Ratatosk]

I was always concerned because I'd give ds his enzymes and then he'd hardly eat. Other day I gave him 5 creon 12000 for a snack and he ate one potato chip. His doctor explained that too many enzymes, enough to cause major problems would be Heck of a lot. Think handfuls. How do his stools look? Normal? Loose? Does he have pain after taking them and eating?

 

[RytheStunner]

Definitely. Prolonged use of excessive enzymes can cause fibrosing colonopathy.

 

[Gammaw]

The nutritionist at your CF center can answer all these questions for you. They can tell you the max he should have for his weight on a daily basis. Then take a typical day and tally them up to see if you're over the limit. Going over once in awhile is ok, but not on a regular basis. Yes it can cause problems. Just read the insert that comes with your enzymes from the manufacturer to get a better view of things to look for.

 

[calebf]

It's rare but fibrosing colonopathy happens if overdosing becomes routine. I have a nice big scar on my stomach from fibrosing colonopathy due to enzyme overdosing. They had to take out 4 inches of small intestine. The unused enzymes sit in there and eat away at your intestines narrowing the intestine and causing blockages that eventually lead to surgery. Short term symptoms (after a meal that you have overdosed) are constipation.

 

[Tisha]

What I was taught to do, when first treated in Sweden as a child, was to check the stool consistency. Too loose (diarrhea) meant I had taken too few enzymes. Too hard meant I had taken too many. I've always followed this rule. It worked fine with Pancrease, not so well with Kreon but that's a different story...

 

[LittleLab4CF]

Perfect food/insulin used to the only regiment to sustain a diabetic. Sometimes I think doctors and patients should endeavor to get the numbers right. Maybe not weighing your food to the gram by type like old insulin regements, but if somebody took the time, I feel we would feel a lot better. I have been given three completely different quantities to take for the same hypothetical meal so they are giving it their best guess. Fecal elastase tests and fecal fat test will give you and your doctor a metric of how baby's doing with digestion. You have a good question. Demand you get an answer that fully satisfties you. One that allows you to idealize his food/enzyme. They give Creon on the high side because malabsorption has horrid consequences. You might read my long, boring missive to Enzo +++ from a couple days back. I go into lots of detail for food and poop. Written for a kid.

LL

 

[heidikk]

I am finding myself agreeing, LL. After struggling with some constipation, I've spent the last week trying to figure it out better for my Kory. I'd love to find a great article on food and poop for infants like the one you wrote for Enzo.