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Pancreatic Enzymes and Suggested Doses

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Last Modified: May 8, 2012

Question

Why is it important to take pancreatic enzymes? My doctor said I may have to adjust them and take more than initially prescribed. Why is this? How do I know when to increase my dose?

Answer

Lauren Ginipro, Registered Dietician at Penn Medicine responds:

Pancreatic enzymes are necessary to breakdown the food we eat so that it can be absorbed by the body. You may have to adjust your dosage depending on the quantity of enzymes your pancreas is able to produce. Constant diarrhea may be an indication that you need to increase your dosage.

This question and answer was part of the OncoLink Brown Bag Chat Series. View the entire transcript from the Focus on Pancreatic Cancer Webchat.