So I wrote a blog recently all about memory. And the most prominent memory technique that I’ve found was the Memory Palace / Method of Loci / Roman Room. Every memory champion uses it so I had to see for myself. Over the past six months or so, I’ve created a Quizlet deck on pharmacology. I currently work as an ER tech and I’m constantly hearing medications so I when I hear a new one, I add it to the deck. I’ll go through the flashcards occasionally, trying to come up with some mnemonics here and there. But after a while, nothing was really sticking; I didn’t really have a system. I then came across this, a list of the 300 top prescribed drugs in the US in 2019. Well, that would certainly be a good list to become familiar with, I thought. And familiar with it I have become.
So okay, I wanted to give the Memory Palace a try. So I discovered Ron White, a national memory champion. He outlines the strategy here. So I gave it a try… and it worked. It actually worked! I memorized the top 25 most prescribed medications, in a single day. And not just the generic names in order, but their trade names, and their class. I was just as shocked as you are. So I pushed it a bit further, and now I’m up to 50, within a week. I used rooms in my house and the objects within, just as Ron had suggested. I picked 5 objects per room, and placed 25 on my first floor, and 25 in my basement. My plan is to do 25 in the upstairs and the remaining 25 of the top 100 outside. Here are some examples.
As I enter my house and go to the left, there is the door to our front room. And the first medication I had to memorize was Atorvastatin (Lipitor), which is a statin (lowers LDL cholesterol). So I pictured giving A Tour where I wanted those I’m touring to be quiet and button their Lips, and I was touring around Stannis from Game of Thrones. Next I moved to my TV where I pictured my friend (who takes thyroid medicine) wearing Levy jeans, playing a synthesizer. And for that I remember Levothyroxine (Synthroid), which is a thyroid medication. So that’s the idea there. Next was my sister Lisa cleaning with lemon zest, an ace playing card. Lisinopril (Zestril), which is an ACE inhibitor. So yes, I did this 50 times, with objects throughout my house like couches, printers, the fridge, toilets, and a mounted deer head.
The other day I was in triage at the ER where I work and as I was taking a patient’s vitals, the nurse was going through their medications. “Do you take Lexapro?” she asked. “Umm… what’s another name for that?” he replied. My heart started beating out of my chest; this was my chance to shine. I immediately thought of Lex from Survivor, in front of my microwave, nuking a bowl of escape keys. Of course, I said none of this out loud. Oh! “Escitalopram?” I replied. “Yes, that’s it!” the patient said. Oh man you should have seen the smile on my face. I also picture Lex as being depressed because he was betrayed by Boston Rob; Lexapro is an antidepressant / SSRI. I had learned that mnemonic just days ago and to be able to use it in real time was amazing.
My progress has definitely slowed a bit as I encounter medication names I’ve never heard of, like methylphenidate, or allopurinol and similar sounding names, like Coreg, Zocor (my friend Cory is my reminder for Zocor, so I have to be careful not to think of Coreg, where my reminder is an egg), Zoloft, Zolpidem, etc. I’ve also found that remembering the function is a bit harder; some I know just because of their name, like the statins. However, if I could do the first 50 in a week, I plan to do the next 50. Memorizing the top 100 medications prescribed in the US… imagine.
The question now is, what’s the limit? And my house is only so big. Do I “restart” the walkthrough for the second 100? Or do I have to pick another walkthrough? Do I pick 5 different items in each room now, or maybe start the walkthrough from a different room? The only other familiar locations I can think of is a walk around my block, a walk through the hospital, my commute to work, and my college campus. Okay, I guess that’s plenty to work with. I’m really excited to push this to the limit.
It’s August 25th now, a couple of weeks since I started this, and I have the first 75 committed to memory. I actually filmed myself walking around my house, recalling each medication as I encountered the object. I was quite amazed. I learned that typing out the mnemonic, then recalling it and writing it down helps the mnemonic stick. Through random times in the day I’ll either recall some, or jot them down. I had to do some “micro-corrections” to iron out some details, like keeping the antidepressants straight: SSRI vs. SARI vs. NDRI, vs. SNRI, by adding an additional image/mnemonic to my scenario, but they are sticking. I estimated that I can get to 150 by finishing the rest of my house, using my entire yard, and then placing 5 medications each in my neighbors’ houses as I walk down the street. 75 down. 75 to go!