I was wondering if anyone takes digestive enzyme supplements. After I eat I have this feeling like the food is just sitting in my stomach for hours, like its not moving down the digestive tract. I was wondering if taking digestive enzymes would help. If anyone knows about them I would appreciate your feedback! Thanks.

I don't know anything about enzymes, but I know my husband has what's called a "lazy stomach." It takes him a long time to digest food, and he has to be careful not to eat too close to bedtime. Maybe he should look into enzymes as well.

This is the first time I've ever heard of digestive enzymes! Interesting... I'll have to research them.

are you referring to probiotics? i heard these are good enzymes you could get by eating yogurt.

not probiotics - they are healthy bacteria that live inside our intestines. i'm talking about amylase, protease, and lipase - the enzymes in our bodies that break down cho's, proteins, and fats. i didn't know if taking supplements of these would help me digest my foods better. as i'm writing this my stomach is in pain from my dinner 2 1/2 hrs ago, and it's not like i overate so i don't know what's going on with my tummy

Have you tried eating more often and smaller meals? I've heard that this can be helpful with digestion, but I'm generally hesitant to take anything like that myself because I'm concerned about them interfering with the 'natural order' of how my body is supposed to function on it's own (note that this concern is largely baseless, just a lurking suspicion). Also, was your meal high in protein? Did you drink enough water? Does this happen frequently? Is this pain distinctly different from gas pain? Am I getting too personal yet?

oh ok. sorry elicia. confused probiotics. are you lactose intolerant by any chance or have ibs by any chance? any thoughts of going to a gastroenterologist to check it out or discuss? (am i getting to personal as well?)

thanks guys! no worries, not too personal. i have been to the GI doctor more times than i can count for burning sensations in my stomach. i had an upper gi about 8 mos ago now that only showed mild gastritis (inflammation in my stomach) but nothing else. i've been on prevacid since then. i no longer have the burning sensation but the fullness and pain still exists. i was going to call the gi again b/c all this would be new to him but to be honest with you i'm sick of going. that's no excuse but i just feel like its not something a prescription can fix. i have changed my eating habits to eat smaller more frequent meals and it helped for about 2 weeks but now i'm back to square one. my meal was full of protein (is protein a cause of stomach pain??) - veg protein and fat free cheese. i made vegetarian nachos for superbowl with toasted whole wheat pita chips (homemade) and had it with homemade guacamole and fat free sour cream. i also had 1 pizza skin- again homemade where i scooped out the inside of the potato and put a thin layer of sauce, ff mozz cheese, and diced up broccoli. i may have eaten a tiny bit more than normal but i definitely did not overeat. i was still full this morning and haven't really had much of an appetite all day - and its almost 6pm! its just really frustrating. sorry to vent to you guys, but if they ever start doing stomach transplants, i'm going to be the first to sign up!
thank you for all your thoughts/ideas. i don't think i'm lactose intolerant because i have milk in my coffee everyday and don't have any stomach problems after i drink it. nor do i think i have ibs b/c i don't experience cramping/diarrhea either. i think i just have an ultraslow metabolism at this point!

Papaya digestive enzyme supplements are chewable and a healthy substitute for candy, as they're yummy too.

hmm-i wish i had the answer. im sorry i cant help you out. i hope you figure it out though. it must be very frustrating.

I'll keep this one short, I just got back from the gym and I'm TIRED!!

larger amounts of protein can indeed cause that discomfort, but it's probably unlikely that you had enough to cause issues...

I would consider the possibility of lactose intolerance a little more, perhaps remove dairy from your diet for about two weeks and then add a little in for a couple days and see if there is any noticeable difference. A mild case may not present from a little milk in your coffee, but the sour cream, mozz, and fat free cheese may have done the trick! The good news is that LI would be very manageable and the best cheese, as in cheese that is aged longer, has less lactose and is less likely to cause problems...

my $.03 (inflation)