Question: I suffer from anxiety. I have social phobia and I was told by a psychiatrist that I have generalized anxiety also.

The best medication that I took, without considering the side-effects, was escitalopram. On the other hand, considering the side-effects, this medication would not be an option, especially because of the terrible insomnia that it causes. In the past, I was able to deal with the insomnia (caused by the escitalopram) by taking seroquel. But seroquel caused cramps in my legs/feet/toes and even a permanent cramp in one of my toes, which wakes me up in the middle of the night.
I also tried other types of SSRIs and also Effexor and all these also caused severe insomnia. Other medications that I tried unsuccessfully include: desyrel, imipramine, mirtazapine, amitriptyline and buspar.

The medications that are relatively good for me are:
1. Bromazepam: I used it as needed. It is very effective for episodes of acute anxiety, but I can’t take it on a day-to-day basis.
2. Trazodone: I use it for sleep and I may use it during the day, as needed for anxiety, but the effect is not very strong and not long enough.
3. Hydroxizine: it has a very nice calming effect that starts almost immediately and lasts for most of the day. This medication also almost completely eliminate my hyperhidrosis. On the other hand, this medication is not strong enough for my social phobia.

What recommendations would you give me in regards to medications, even off-label, that I could take individually or in combination with the three options above that would be strong enough to relieve my social phobia? Please keep in mind that I wouldn’t want to take medications that have the potential to negatively affect memory. In addition to, or as a substitute for medications, what alternative treatments would you recommend (other than talking to psychologists)?

Thanks.

Thanks for your answer.
I tried to convey in my question that I can’t take SSRIs or any of these “reuptake inhibitors” mainly due to the severe insomnia that they cause. I actually have insomnia even when I’m not on any medication, but the SSRIs/SNRIs make it almost impossible for me to sleep. Because of this, I’m currently not taking any SSRI medication. A few questions:

Why SSRIs cause insomnia?
What could counteract the insomnia caused by SSRIs?

As I mentioned in my original message, when I was taking escitalopram, I was also taking seroquel to help with sleep (and seroquel did it relatively well). But after a few years, seroquel caused a permanent cramp in one of my toes, which wakes me up in the middle of the night.
Given my explanation here, and the details in my original message, including the history of medications that I tried, my next question is:

What other medications or treatments, should be worth a try?

Thanks.