The Cypro Cycle

For Jillian's GI motility issues she cycles between Cyproheptadine and Erythomycin. They both have their pluses and minuses and they both tend to work best when cycled on and off. They both were not created as drugs for GI problems, but are both used for the side effects of helping with GI problems.

Erythro is a pain because you have to give it 3 times a day. We do 6am, 2pm and 10pm. She gets no other meds at 2pm, and while it is not hard to draw up a med at 2pm, it is hard to remember sometimes when there are no other meds at that time. It also has a short life once mixed and we have to get it from a special pharmacy. Really though, Jillian likes the med because it has to be given by mouth. Its negatives are minor and we see how it helps her.

Cypro is med that you only give once a day and it can go in her J tube. It has a long shelf life. The trick with Cypro is that it is know to have different side effects each time it is cycled. I have talked with multiple other parents who have experienced this and we always have to a degree, however this cycle is definitely the hardest cycle so far... why? Cause my child is sleeping less then normal.

Since this cycle has started she is struggling to nap, get to sleep at night, and stay asleep once she is sleeping. Since starting this cycle she has only taken a couple of naps. We put her in bed at 8pm each night however she is not falling asleep until 10pm or later. She is getting up multiple times a night. The other night she fell asleep around 10:30 and by 12:30 I had been up with her 5 times! Sunday morning she was up before 4am hyper as could be. You can tell she is sleepy, but cant sleep.
 Add this to our normal sleep schedule and I quite frankly am amazed I am functioning. It just took me 2 hours of holding her to help calm her body enough that she could fall asleep.

I am counting down the days til we switch meds again. This little girl is sleepy... this momma is sleepy!

Everything is a season!