Poor Memory

[[Nu...]]

It has now been 9 weeks since my last dose of benzos. I am finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Most of the time I feel 50-75% better. Feel worse in the mornings. Just wondering if many are having problems with short - term memory loss. I am an ICU nurse and I literally have to write EVERYTHING down or else I will forget. I have made a few minor errors already. I pray quite a bit while I am at work and thank God every day for getting me through each day.

[[st...]]

Hi Nurse Tanya,

 

This is nurse Pat.  I am almost 3 months off Xanax and still have short-term memory loss.  They say that takes awhile to come back.  Just keep that handy notepad with you.  You won't need it much longer.

 

Patty  xo

[[Be...]]

Hi, Tanya.

 

I'm glad most things are much better.  I'm amazed you have been able to work as an ICU nurse all this time.  Bravo!

 

My memory is awful most of the time with periods of clarity which I never had on the benzo.  I'm pretty sure it will improve with time and I do actual memory quiz things to test it ever so often. Remember the game Concentration?  There's even a version on this website in the Arcade. I think it's cats you have to remember.  

 

Anyway, the short answer is yes, short-term memory is still a problem for me.  I have a pad of sticky notes and a pen on nearly every surface so I can write things down as soon as I think them.  I have a reminder program on my pc and one of the daily reminders is about turning off the outside lights.  If I get distracted by anything - even a thought - on my way from the front light switch to the back one, the back one doesn't get turned off most of the time. Sigh.  

[[wo...]]

Hi Tanya, short term memory is so interesting. Our brains have an "automatic throw away" response to much of what we receive. My Mom used to joke with me and say if our brains didn't do this we'd really go crazy. Right now it is throwing away things you need, and it does it in a blink of an eye! What helps me is to ask people to repeat what they say, or I repeat what they say, and say, "So you are saying,...."  or " Did I get this right...." that way I look like I care instead of an idiot. (of course I do care!) I find if I slow them down or have them repeat things it does stick in my brain. I also use notepads and write things down whenever I can.  It gets better and better.

[[Nu...]]

LOL! Thanks you guys!!! I have never had a great memory but my memory now is ridiculously short. And I can forget about multi-tasking like I did before starting benzo's. Thanks God I only took a small dose every night for 8 months.

 

I love you guys!! I do not know where I would be without you. Probably in the nut house.

[[ga...]]

Hi guys, I was going to reply earlier but I forgot (poor joke).  Since being on diazepam (tapered from 15 mg daily to 2mg), my memory is also shot much to the annoyance of my wife.  I have given up work as my lapses of memory where causing more anxiety as I would wake in the early hours with a jolt remembering something I forgot to do.  On the flip side I was round at friends at the weekend and we had a music quiz and I creamed everyone so I looked upon that as a positive that as my diaz decreases my memory is improving.  Only the rest of the symptoms to deal with.

 

Keep you heads up.

 

Gareth