I am going to add clarification to this question, but I want to add
this basic description of my question first to see if anyone actually
knows something about the topic: I am an Ivy League student who
started taking antidepressants (SSRIs) three years ago, which was my
senior year in high school.  My grades, shortly thereafter, plummeted,
and I have continued to struggle with grades the last three years.  Up
until I went on meds, my GPA in high school was a 3.9 and I took all
the hardest classes.  The semester I was on meds, my GPA went to a
3.1.    I know I can perform better than I have.  (My GPA is about 2.5
in 3 years of college).  After several years of experiencing and
evaluating this problem, I believe my memory is effected in some way
by the medication; after all, I have no other explanation for why I
fail to perform well on tests given I study hard and long for them. 
However, the dilemma is that I need this medication in order to
function; after all, I've never felt better in my life.  My social
relationships are great, whereas they wouldn't be if I went off the
meds.  So given it is not an option to go off the meds, what is the
problem here?  And is there some deficiency these meds are causing in
terms of whatever vitamins my brain may need to store memory?   FYI:
right now I am taking Lexapro, Wellbutrin and Trileptal (mood
stablizer).  Up until 8 months ago, I took Prozac.  So I was on Prozac
from senior year in high school up until 8 months ago.

http://www.lexapro-side-effects.net/

"In a study in normal volunteers, LEXAPRO 10 mg/day did not impair
psychomotor performance. The effect of LEXAPRO on psychomotor
coordination, judgment, or thinking has not been systematically
examined in controlled studies. Because psychoactive drugs may impair
judgment, thinking or motor skills, patients should be cautioned about
operating hazardous machinery, including automobiles, until they are
reasonably certain that LEXAPRO therapy does not affect their ability
to engage in such activities.
Patients should be told that, although LEXAPRO has not been shown in
experiments with normal subjects to increase the mental and motor
skill impairments caused by alcohol, the concomitant use of LEXAPRO
and alcohol in depressed patients is not advised."


http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/tri1563.htm

Side effects cannot be anticipated. If any develop or change in
intensity, inform your doctor as soon as possible. Only your doctor
can determine if it is safe for you to continue taking Trileptal.


More common side effects may include: 
Abdominal pain, abnormal gait, anxiety, back pain, bruising, chest
infection, confusion, constipation, convulsions, cough, diarrhea,
dizziness, double vision, emotional instability, falling down,
fatigue, headache, involuntary eye movement, loss of appetite,
long-term memory loss, muscle incoordination, nausea, nervousness,
nosebleed, pain, poor coordination, rash, runny nose, sinus
inflammation, sleepiness, sleeplessness, sore throat, stomach upset,
sweating, taste disorder, tremor, upper respiratory infection, urinary
tract infection, vertigo, viral infection, vision disorder, vomiting,
weakness

Less common side effects may include: 
Abnormal feeling, abnormal thinking, acne, agitation, allergy,
bronchitis, chest pain, decreased sensitivity, dry mouth, earache, ear
infection, fever, fluid retention, frequent urination, head injury,
hot flushes, impaired concentration, increased sweating, infection,
involuntary muscle contraction, low blood pressure, movement
disturbances, muscle pain or weakness, pneumonia, poor eye
coordination, rectal bleeding, red or purple spots on the skin, sore
throat, speech disorder, sprains and strains, stomach inflammation,
swollen legs, thirst, toothache, vaginal inflammation, weight increase

** As at least these two may impair thinking, concentration- you may
be right in believe that taking these is effecting your grades.
However I would talk about this with your doctor, before taking any
action. Although this may be the cause there certainly could be other
causes you are not aware of.

lru

The brightest and most ingenious people I've met in my life did not
have good GPAs in school.  The most financially successful people did
not have good grades.  The only thing GPAs tell is how hard the person
worked and was focused during a particular time period (if s/he didn't
cheat).  It is only relevant if you subject yourself to a weeding out
process, such as post-graduate admissions and initial job search. 
Later on in your career, it becomes less important.  Letters of
recommendation and word of mouth are much more precious.

Regardless, we all try to get good grades for whatever it is worth. 
So, have you tried coffee?  My freshman year GPA was 2.7, pre-coffee,
but for the last 3 years of college, 4.0, post-coffee.  Highly
recommend Peete's Coffee.

I would rather not use coffee given caffeine has not been the best for
me.  Is there anything else I can take that may help me out?

I have heard the comment about grades not mattering a lot, and I tend
to agree with that; however, my concern is that my bad grades come as
a result of not having the memory or other natural functions while I'm
on meds that I had off of meds.  I mean, it is not an issue of me
putting in effort: I studied very hard my first two years in college,
but I always felt that it was studying in vain because I would not be
able to remember or process it later.  I find it hard to believe it
could be anything outside of the meds because essentially nothing else
has changed other than the fact I have been on meds.

Regarding the standard side effect profiles, I do not consider that
comprehensive enough to be an answer to my question.  I need more in
the way of actual studies or an assessment of what these chemicals can
do in the brain.

Well well, I am going to blame your medications on the fact that you
did not actually ask for case study in the original question.

First if you read the very first part of my answer you would see that
LEAXPRO has not been examines in controlled studies for effects on
thinking, judgment or coordination.

HOWEVER : Psychoactive Pharmacotherapy
Some medications can cause significant and acute alterations in
psychomotor, emotional, and mental activity at therapeutic doses. At
higher doses, and for some patients, some of these medications can
also cause euphoric reactions. Medications that are potentially
psychoactive include opioids, stimulants, benzodiazepines,
barbiturates, and other sedative-hypnotics.


http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/lexapro_wcp.htm
In a study in normal volunteers, LEXAPRO 10 mg/day did not impair
psychomotor performance. The effect of LEXAPRO on psychomotor
coordination, judgment, or thinking has not been systematically
examined in controlled studies. Because psychoactive drugs may impair
judgment, thinking, or motor skills, patients should be cautioned
about operating hazardous machinery, including automobiles, until they
are reasonably certain that LEXAPRO therapy does not affect their
ability to engage in such activities.

I don't believe that you are going to find a clinical study proving
your theory - namely because even the company  and all reporting
sources say that
"effect of LEXAPRO on psychomotor coordination, judgment, or thinking
has not been systematically examined in controlled studies"

But hey maybe someone else can assist you. Is there a doc in the house?

I would consult with your doctor and try different medication(s) for
your mood.  Perhaps you would have less side effects with other
med(s).  Sometimes a similar medication in same classification (SSRI)
can have completely different side effects on a person, so it might be
worthwhile to discuss this option with your personal physician.  You
can also request some general lab work to make sure you do not have
any other disorders that can affect memory-->thyroid, vitamin B12
deficiency, etc.  Good luck.

Oh, by the way, have you tried Strattera?  I've met some people in
their 40's and 50's that are on it for "adult-onset attention deficit
disorder" and they swear their energy level, focus, and memory have
improved.  Unfortunately, they have graduated already, so I am not
sure if the drug can actually help you obtain better grades.  Too bad
you can't drink coffee; it is the best legal drug there is, and cheap,
too.

about the meds, I've tried other SSRI's and am unwilling to change my
meds.  There must be another solution.

Regarding list of side-effects, sorry I didn't make it clear in my
post, but fortunately I was able to find the side effects listed on
the side of my medications. :)

You mentioned that your social life improved with the medication.
Prehaps you where able to devote more time to studying before you
started the medication as there was less compitation from your social
life? Just a thought.

My findings also agree with lrulrick-ga in that there lacks published,
controlled studies on the effect of Lexapro on psychomotor function,
judgement or thinking.

I would ask that when it comes to FDA approved medications that you at
least consider the importance of controlled studies in relation to
your question and concern regarding your declining grades.  Most
medications have gone through a rigorous trial, that can take as long
as 11 years, before availed to the American public.  These study give
both validity and reliability to the medication.

Nevertheless, it is possible for a drug to have side effects that were
not found in the original studies.  This is one reason why scientists
utilize confidence limits (ranges) in their controlled studies.

If you really think that the medications  could be the source of your
problem, then you have the difficult task of ruling out other causes,
i.e.: fatique, anxiety, diet, sleep hygiene, level of difficulty in
achieving through the institutional pedagogy, etc.  One must also
consider: 1) the effects of polypharmacy, 2)the effect of several
drug(s) on the body, pharmacokinetics,  and 3)the body effects on the
drug(s), pharmacodynamics.

This task of ruling out is a very important aspect in medical science.
 It is how I would proceed, as a medical doctor, in addressing your
problem.  However, you can start this process yourself.  You should
keep careful documentation in the scientific inquiry of yourself, your
"chief complaint," and the "history of your present problem."  Then
disucss your results with your doctor and a clinical pharmacist,
specializing in psychotropic medications.

I hope this helps.