Digestive enzymes Side Effects: What Reddit Users Report
16 of 809 Reddit owner comments about Digestive enzymes (2%) describe an unwanted effect. The effects people mention most are loose stools or diarrhea and nausea. These are self-reports from Reddit IBS and gut communities (November 2025 to October 2026), not a measured side-effect rate, and many people report no problems at all.
Digestive enzymes overall: 4.3 · tolerability 4.9 (higher means fewer unwanted-effect reports).
What people describe
| Effect mentioned | Owner comments |
|---|---|
| Loose stools or diarrhea | 3 |
| Nausea | 3 |
How we counted: among the 16 comments that describe an unwanted effect, a category counts when a sentence names the effect with wording like "gave me" or "made me". Questions and sentences about an effect going away are skipped. One comment can count in more than one row, and keyword counts can include some unrelated mentions, so read the quotes below for context.
Most common complaints
- Side effects: 13 owner comments
- Pain & cramping: 5 owner comments
- Urgency & loose stools: 4 owner comments
- Bloating & gas: 4 owner comments
Safety notes from NIH and published research
- Enzyme sources and strengths vary by brand; read the label, and tell your doctor about any supplement you take.[NIH Office of Dietary Supplements]
Stop and talk to a doctor if an effect is severe or does not settle. Ask a pharmacist about interactions with any medicine you take.
In their words
2/5 Side effectsUrgency & loose stools“Actually until I started taking digestive enzymes I had no energy to do anything but lay down after work.”
2/5 Bloating & gasPain & cramping“Life was shit until I did the low fodmoa diet process, figured out my trigger foods, began avoiding them or using fodzyme, started amytriptiline.”
2/5 Side effects“Methane SIBO was suspected though pancreatic insufficiency was identified and I was prescribed medical digestive enzymes - no improvement to constipation other than better digestion.”
3/5 Bloating & gasSide effects“Trying digestive enzymes hoping theyll help with my horrible bloating!”
4/5 Side effects“I went to the health food store and found a "full spectrum digestive enzyme" and I also started taking a liquid form of Milk Thistle for the liver and gallbladder support.”
4/5 Side effects“digestive enzymes helped me when my i could feel my digestion was all over the place (nausea + early fullness).”
1/5 Side effects“I did start taking digestive enzymes along with all the other supplements too, so they might have made me worse.”
2/5 Side effects“Yes bromelain was good but I noticed that it made my blood sugar go a bit crazy which is apparently a well known side effect as it can thin the blood affecting blood sugar in a similar way to caffeine.”
Frequently asked
What side effects do people report with Digestive enzymes?
16 of 809 Reddit owner comments about Digestive enzymes (2%) describe an unwanted effect; the ones mentioned most were loose stools or diarrhea and nausea. These are self-reports, not a measured side-effect rate.
Is Digestive enzymes safe?
Safety depends on your health and medicines. The NIH and other sources listed on this page note specific cautions. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before starting, especially if you take other medicines or are pregnant.
More on Digestive enzymes
Compare side-effect reports: Digestive enzymes vs Alpha-galactosidase (Beano)