Take this medicine before or with meals and snacks, unless otherwise directed by your doctor.

When prescribing this medicine for your condition, your doctor may also prescribe a personal diet for you. Follow carefully the special diet your doctor gave you. This is most important and necessary for the medicine to work properly and to avoid indigestion. It is important to drink plenty of water while you are on this medicine.

For patients taking the tablet form of this medicine:

• Swallow the tablets quickly with some liquid, without chewing, to avoid mouth irritation.

For patients taking the capsules containing the enteric-coated spheres:

• Swallow the capsule whole.
• Do not crush, break, or chew before swallowing.
• When given to children, the capsule may be opened and sprinkled on a small amount of liquid or soft food that can be swallowed without chewing, such as applesauce or gelatin. However, it should not be mixed with alkaline foods, such as milk and ice cream, which may reduce its effect.

Dosing

The dose of pancrelipase will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of pancrelipase. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

• To help digestion:
  • For oral dosage form (capsules):
    • Older adults, adults, and teenagers One to three capsules before or with meals and snacks. Your doctor may change your dose if needed.
    • Children The contents of one to three capsules sprinkled on food at each meal. Your doctor may change your dose if needed.
  • For oral dosage form (delayed-release capsules):
    • Older adults, adults, and teenagers One to four capsules (4000 to 20000 units) before or with meals and snacks. Your doctor will decide what your dose should be at first. Your doctor may change your dose if needed.
    • Children over 6 years old The contents of one to four capsules (4000 to 12,000 units) with meals. Your doctor will decide what dose to start with. Your doctor may change your dose if needed. You should take the contents of the capsules with a liquid or a small amount of a soft food that you do not have to chew. You should eat the food with the medicine in it right away and follow that with a glass of water or juice.
    • Children 1 to 6 years old The contents of one to two capsules (4000 to 8000 units) with meals. Your doctor will decide what dose to start with. Your doctor may change your dose if needed. You should take the contents of the capsules with a liquid or a small amount of a soft food that you do not have to chew. You should eat the food with the medicine in it right away and follow that with a glass of water or juice.
    • Infants 6 months to 1 year old The contents of half a capsule (2000 units) per meal. Your baby's doctor may change the dose if needed.
    • Infants under 6 months Use and dose should be determined by your baby's doctor.
  • For oral dosage form (powder):
    • Older adults, adults, and teenagers 1/4 teaspoonful (0.7 gram) with meals and snacks. Your doctor may change your dose if needed.
    • Children 1/4 teaspoonful with meals. Your doctor may change your dose if needed.
  • For oral dosage form (tablets):
    • Older adults, adults, and teenagers One to three tablets before or with meals and snacks. Your doctor may change your dose if needed.
    • Children One to two tablets with meals.

Missed dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

To store this medicine:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Do not store the capsule, powder, or tablet form of this medicine in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
• Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For pancrelipase, the following should be considered:

Allergies Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to pancrelipase, pancreatin, or pork products. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy Studies have not been done in either humans or animals.

Breast-feeding Pancrelipase has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.

Children This medicine has been tested in children 6 months of age or older and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems than it does in adults.

Older adults Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults. Although there is no specific information comparing use of pancrelipase in the elderly with use in other age groups, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Other medicines Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

• Pancreatitis (sudden, severe inflammation of the pancreas) Pancrelipase may make this condition worse