Antidepressants Cause Perceptual, Focusing Problems

Nine years ago, I began taking the antidepressant Paxil (paroxetine), an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) to combat anxiety and depression. I weaned myself off from it, when I began to put on weight. Since coming off the Paxil, I've noticed several changes in my functioning, notably in the areas of perception and mental processing. Here's how antidepressants affected my abilities in these areas.

Mental processing problems

I've been a freelance writer for almost as long as I took the antidepressant. I noticed that articles written while taking medication compared to articles written "unmedicated" had far more errors. I've taught English, research writing and creative writing. I know spelling, grammar and punctuation rules. However, while on antidepressants, I made frequent grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. I transposed words and letters. I substituted homonyms ("hear" instead of "here") with embarrassing frequency. I had to look at mistakes several times to really see them. I have always battled with moderate dyslexia and dysgraphia. Paxil exacerbated those problems.

Perception problems

While taking Paxil, my writing was disjointed and my thoughts, much less cohesive. The frightening thing, was that, in retrospect, they made perfect sense to me. Antidepressants gave me a false sense of coherence, similar to that of an alcoholic who thinks he's making sense when he's babbling. I was afraid that if I quit taking the drug, I would be unable to focus or speak with clarity. It was only when reading my writings without the medication in my system that I could how unfocused it actually made me. I seemed to view everything through a haze. I didn't feel medicated, but I certainly noticed the absence of it. I only noticed most of these errors after I quit taking the Paxil.

Possible extenuating factors

I have never taken any antidepressant besides Paxil, so I don't know if I would experience similar problems with another variety. During the time I was taking Paxil, I also struggled with sleep apnea. I now correct the apneas with a CPAP. Some of the problems could have been attributed to sleep issues.

Permanent damage

I can't speak definitively to any permanent damage in thought processes. Since weaning myself, I have been able to identify and correct the errors I made while medicated. That leads me to think that no long-term harm has been done. It has taken me about a year to improve my perceptual acuity.