Newcastle were 4-1 ahead before Forest fought back after halftime, but fell short as the hosts won 4-3.
Howe said afterwards, "Great to win. You have to remember that at the end. Crazy game, but that's why we love it I suppose.
"Two sides of us. The first half was excellent. A great response to going down. The second half was equally bad really. We struggled to get to grips with the momentum when it turned against us.
"At our best we're free-flowing, an attacking team, dynamic. You saw the best of us in the first half.
"My brain goes to the second half. We weren't perfect. The defending of set-plays and crosses into the box, we've usually been quite good at that over the years. On a snap reaction, that's what I'll say.
"A really good performance from Lewis (Miley). He finished his goal really well. He can be really pleased, he's been developing really well.
"It's a feeling we have to remember. It feels like we lost the game, but we won the game and got points over Nottingham Forest.
"He finished his goal really well. He can be really pleased, he's been developing really well.
"It's a feeling we have to remember. It feels like we lost the game, but we won the game and got points over Nottingham Forest."