Short-term memory

My short-term is horrible! It's been driving me crazy. My memory for faces, names, conversations, things to do, things I did....

I'm going to start the washing machine again because I forgot to add detergent; this is after I already forgot once. So I've been washing one and a half cycles in water!

If I get distracted, I forget what I was talking about and often need a prompt. Sometimes the distraction is my own mind!

Any suggestions, strategies? It's never been great, but now it's horrible. Once I had memory problems caused by a medication I was on. Now I'm not on any psychotropic medications, but it's about as bad as it was then. I wonder if it's because I stopped my meds cold-turkey.

Right, the laundry!

I wish I could help, but I am having problems, too. So, I am hoping for some advice!

I half wonder something ... I'm having all kinds of memory problems myself and I wonder if it doesn't have something to do with the way the depressed mind functions. I don't know your diagnosis, but myself, I have Major Depressive Disorder. So my brain simply isn't as active as a normal brain. Throw in a major episode and I wonder if it flat out can't get memories stored because part of the brain is pretty much shut down completely.

I don't know if that might be your problem or not, just something I've run into and don't really know the answer to yet.

My psychiatrist pretty much flat-out said it's due to depression and that there's nothing to be done about it. I'm hoping my memory will go back to being not as bad (I'm talking within the last few months even... at least the last year). Until then: any ideas on how to deal with it?

I'm in a bad depression now and it has definitely affected my memory. I have to think really hard to try to remember conversations, what I did yesterday, etc. Normally, I'm sharp as a tack. Very frustrating . . .

I tried writing myself notes ... but then I would forget where I put them. So I started writing my notes on myself which works great until I forget I wrote them on myself and wash them off ...

I'm just about to do the whole Memento thing and start tattooing what I need to know to myself.

Memento (2000) - IMDb

I write notes when I remember to. Then I have to remember to check them.

Try putting them in the same place and make it a habit of checking that place even if you haven't posted new notes? If you have a smartphone, you can set reminders.

I hate not being able to remember conversations, even sentences, word-for-word. I have to rehearse them in my head in the moment. And even then.... Now this has been long-standing. Ever heard something hilarious on TV and wanted to share it literally right after but you've forgotten the words? Story of my life.

Routine and consistency can be very helpful with distractibility and poor memory. Visual and time cues are helpful as well.

So, if you can establish and keep basically the same daily routine or at least keep some basic events from day to day approximately the same, it can help.
Get up approximately the same time, teeth, shower, eat, coffee, etc in the same order.

Try to do laundry or chores around the same time, get the mail around the same time, appointments for specific doctors or therapy on the same days.

Have a hook for your keys, a box or basket by the door for your wallet, purse, gloves, bus pass, etc. always put those things there. If you walk past it and into the house, turn around and go back to the assigned place and put the things where they belong.

Get a desk calendar, set daily alarms for medications, sign up for google calendars.

Google calendars I have found pretty invaluable. You can choose to integrate it into your desktop or not, and there are ipod, iPhone and iPad apps as well as the google/gmail app. (If you don't have a gmail account you could make one for google calendar and have any alerts forwarded to your main email) it's a great program because you can pretty much set up any number of alerts any time ahead of whatever appointment or task. Some things I have two SMS messages, twelve hours before and two hours before and then an email thirty six and twenty four hours before. And then you can also choose to have a daily agenda sent to you.

Annnywho...
Get three of those little pocket memo notebooks. Put one by the computer, one by the phone or on the kitchen counter and one in your pocket or purse- keep a small pen in the spiral binding.

Get a whiteboard and several colors of dry erase ( the colors may help to differentiate when you try to remember)

Ok. I'm out of tips and tricks haha.

Wait one more!

Important things for the next morning: post it note in bright ink on the bathroom mirror.
You will likely look at it repeatedly while brushing your teeth.

I've been saying I need a routine since forever. Hasn't been working out so far.

I have a basket for my stuff. Best idea ever.

When I use my phone calendar or planner/agenda and remember to look at them and update them, they can be helpful. Also I think my lack of motivation is a factor. Now it's pretty low.

Thanks!

Ooppssssssss forgot what I came here for

Ever since I started on mood stabilizers, specifically Topamax (stopped) Lamictal (current) and Zonegran (current) my short term memory has been shot. I forget to turn off stoves and ovens. I forget to lock the door sometimes and I even forget to set my alarm clock, nearly every night. Thankfully I don't have to get up for work.

Now my longterm memory is sharp. I feel like my grandfather.

When I reached a certain dose, my memory was shot as well. I recall forgetting what I was talking about twenty times within the course of a single conversation that lasted probably less than that number in minutes. If I was interrupted, it was horrible. I'm thankful my memory is not that bad now.

My short term memory has never been great, but it has gotten gradually worse...the other day I caught myself trying to put a jug of milk in the cupboard because I got distracted by something I was thinking about.

My memory is terrible and only getting worse. It is bad regardless now if I am in an episode now, even when Im stable I am constantly forgetting things and getting distracted far too easily.

I have notepads, a white board, a place for my keys, glasses, bag, routine, phone alarms and calenders. Sometimes I will look at a note, go to do it and get distracted and forget what I was originally there to do. So said note stays undone for a few hours before I remember to check the board again.

I will have a conversation with someone, they will mention they are going away the next day, then tell me about the trip, later I will be surprised to hear they are leaving for a holiday even though they told me all about it not 10 minutes previously.

Im doing brain training games online and constantly failing at the memory tests. I have forgotten important things at work and for my family and partner. It is really annoying.

Im convinced that it has to do with the meds and the huge amounts of medications I was on previously. Im quite sure that I could not have been on those doses without some sort of damage. Just trying to live with it but it is one of the most annoying things.

If i go to the dentist or anywhere i have to fill in a form, i write the day , date, and even year on paper or my hand. I kid you not i can remember long term but amagine asking somone what year it is filling in a form.

Dear Bark,

Allow me to put some idea about your illness (shortness of memory). well actually your illness can be help with using herbs. as research on internet i had seen, Gingko biloba are useful for shortness of memory and helping controlling Alzheimer. and the the other idea it also helping shortness memory of older adult. this is just a suggestion. you can try if you want. to. hopefully, your illness will be better. give it a try okey..

ok thanks.

saw_q.

Thanks, but I am not mixing herbs with meds, There not controlled in the content from 1 jar to the next.

How's your concentration? One of top pdoc questions

I'm bad with names, it's so bad. Can take me Weeks or months.

Everything else, exhaustion, life stress, being ticked off about something or sad, that will do it for me.

Sent from my LG-MS910 using Tapatalk 2

I think you're all right. I was watching a program on depression in which they said that depression seriously affects short-term memory. When I lapse into depression, which is far less often than I used to, my memory suffers a lot, but when I feel healthy, my memory is much improved. Also, I subscribed to the brain training website "Lumosity," which is now advertised on tv, and that, too, has helped my short-term memory. If you subscribe on your bday, they will give you a year's subscription for half off. It's work, but memory, and all other mental functions have vastly improved for me.

I did some reading about ginkgo biloba. It's possibly effective. But it interacts with so many meds, and I'll probably be going back on some, that I'm hesitant to try it. Thank you though.

Ginkgo biloba | University of Maryland Medical Center

My concentration? Iffy. :P

I'm bad with names and faces. When I meet someone I often tell them that I might forget their name. It has helped me on numerous occasions. (But forgetting faces is beyond painful, especially when they know your name.)

Stress these days is through the roof at times.

I remember my mood being bad when I was feeling better. My doctor said I was still depressed. I guess I have never gone without depression long enough to have a decent memory. Speaking of which, I'm feeling depressed now, so I guess memory improvement will have to wait. :P

you are welcome. Thumb up!