Caring for your HIV-related problem:
Forgetfulness |
| PROBLEM: You may experience problems with forgetfulness, poor memory and
difficulty concentrating. You may also miss appointments, forget
to take medications or forget to do things you usually do. You may
note that you can’t follow a story in a book or have problems
watching television.
Forgetfulness may be caused by HIV, an infection in your brain
(e.g., Toxoplasmosis), depression, medications, or other health
problems.
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| TREATMENT: There are many ways to treat this problem. The first step is to
contact your physician or nurse. If possible, the cause of the
memory problems should be identified. By working together, a
treatment plan can be developed for you. This plan may include
prescription or non-prescription medications, counseling, memory
reminders, or other treatments. |
SELF CARE: Here some strategies that you may try to help you feel
better:
- Write-up a daily/weekly schedule and try to stick as close to
the same schedule as possible.
- Use a datebook to write down your appointments or schedule.
Remember to write down the appointment or schedule item right away
so that it is not forgotten later.
- Develop a routine (e.g., keep your keys and datebook in the
same place everyday).
- Organize your medications in an easy way (e.g., pillbox) to
help you remember to take them.
- Ask your health care provider to call you before your
appointments to remind you of the date and time of the
appointment.
- Some people find it useful to ask friends to help them remember
things.
- Avoid or reduce alcohol and other mood-altering nonprescription
drugs (e.g., cocaine, speed, etc).
- Go to bed and wake up as close to the
same time everyday as possible. A good night’s sleep can help you
think more clearly.
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Wantland MS, RN, MSN |
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