Anything that helps with motivation?

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Hi everyone, first post at wrong planet. I have a rather abrupt request for advice:

I have little motivation to talk to people or find a job. It's a real problem. I've stayed in school, I'm currently in law school, but I always do the minimum to get by. Most of my classmates have done internships by now, but I haven't. One of the reasons I went to law school was because I was too paralyzed to get a job. I do the minimum, usually don't prepare for class, and cram right before exam time. I sort of want to be a writer, but can't be bothered to work on anything. I have a hard time feeling pleasure, so have little motivation to do things.

I'm a loner at law school- don't really talk to people, I haven't made any long term friendships since high school, and I've lost touch with many of my old friends.

I'm somewhat bad with names and faces- which makes me concerned about my prospects of getting a job.

I've tried a number of drugs, a bunch of ssri's, nardil, some anti-psychotics, with little to no help. Adderall gave me a bit more energy, but didn't make me more motivated.

St. John's warts and SAM-E don't seem to do much, actually, antidepressents usually have little to no effect on me, and if there is any effect, as there was with Nardil, my body tends to adjust and they stop working.

Anyone in my shoes try anything that worked? I'm probably going to ask for a tricyclic antidepressent prescription from my doctor, since I haven't tried that kind yet.

Yeah the only thing you can take that might help motivation is a noradrenaline boosting
drug. Nardil should have done that, but there are other agents available.

In the US generic wellbutrin metabolites have a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor effect.
At 500 mg it did not give me alolt of motivation(my username came to me when I was
on that high dose)But I'm trying it again with a "stimulationg" ssri generic prozac. I
plan to build the dose up I', taking a mere 100 mg daily now.

The more expensive Strettra (spelled wrong I'm sure) is more selective noradrenaline
reuptake inhibitor.

Available outside the US is reboxetine a drug much like strettra. At 20 mg it motivated
me to do things I never would have done. But it had terrible side effects.

I know this helps with my son- proprioceptive and vestibular input. If he bounces or swings, bangs on something or holds a vibrating toy, gets a deep pressure massage, etc., he takes off running, can focus and answer questions, etc.
His OT recommended the same for my husband, who also has problems with motivation. She said to jump up and down, do calisthetics, etc. frequently during the day.

It is more of a short-term solution, but it seems to help.

A lot of aspies problems with lack of motivation is psychological rather than physiological in nature.

My own problem isnt a lack of energy due to depression but rather a lack of interest in working or making friends.. its just not important never has been but its something you have to do to survive in a world dominated by NTs so I just grit my teeth and charge ahead.

It sucks but its necessary.

If its not important to you an antidepressant wont change that.

yeah i agree with fraya.

i cant tell from here obviously, but you dont sound depressed. schizoid maybe...

and you sound a lot like me, other then your at lawschool. but uhm, nothing much you can do im affraid, i havent found anything to work either.

On what bases do you make that assumption about jackfrost?

I don't have a whole lot of motivation to socialize or be around people either and I have very little tolerance for chit chat etc. I hate that. I know it's not normal and I know how it makes me appear to other people, but it's one of those things that seems to be impossible to change. I am married though so I actually have a pretty busy social life, but it's all because of my husband and I'm thankful for it. On my own I'd probably be a loner. I'm glad to have friends and some interaction, I just wish I could enjoy it a lot more than I do.

What helps? I guess I've got it pretty mild because caffeine (a stimulant) and St John's Wort both help. Certainly not a cure, but they make enough of a difference that I haven't bothered to pursue anything through a doctor at this point. It sounds like you've tried stronger versions of the same thing - keep trying, there's lots of other possibilities out there. Hopefully you'll be able to find something that helps...

I think talking to other people helps.

How did you find a husband given your reluctance to socialize?

Because I have pessimistic thoughts about human relationships, I'm always surprised to learn that so many aspies find relationships and that many have children.

I've not found a drug which helps, yet. These thought processes can be useful, though:

1. Doing things for others. If you have problems with self-esteem, so it doesn't seem worth the hassle of doing anything for yourself, then how about doing some work for other people (or for things which you care about)? This could either be through direct involvement in a charity / pressure group / community scheme / research project, or through your pay packet. For example, I detest doing the whole 9-to-5 office thing and it often seems pointless, even though the money gives me food and shelter and a whole lot more besides. I find it difficult to equate the work with the pay packet with the benefits. So I set up direct debits to a couple of charities (the Cat's Protection League is one) so I know my money is helping in areas which I care about. That gives me the motivation to go to work.

2. Fear dying. I think that I've got a different outlook on life for a reason, and I'm determined to make my mark. I'm continually bothered about the prospect of dying without achieving anything meaningful. It doesn't have to be anything epic, but I want to have improved a few lives here and there.

3. Get on with it. Thinking about things for too long is counter-productive. Sometimes the easiest way of getting something done is simply to start.

I don't mind a bit of socialization, just that it's a lot less than the average person would want and I wish I desired it more. Being active in a church automatically puts you in the midst of a lot of very friendly sociable people - different dynamic, different types of people than somewhere like school. People there are more likely to initiate the interaction and try to get to know you, and that's where I met my husband and that's how I've gotten to know most of my friends too.

on this:

omega3 fish oil capsules have helped me in a lot of ways, try them out for a fortnight or so and see if they help

If the urge to say "fortnight" is a side effect Ill pass