Are nicotine patches more addictive than cigarettes?

Seems like nicotine patches can be more addictive than cigs. At least 100% for me!!! I never had so strong mood swings, anger, anxiety issues before using patches... It's been close to year now and it's still daily fight... Can anyone else relate?

Here are couple of comments on patches from the web:

[1]icemaiden

Has anyone managed to quit using the patches? I have been using them for a couple of weeks, and they are fantastic: hardly any cravings and feeling really good. But... If I go without, forget it, or manage to sweat the damn thing away the smoking gremlins are back and with them the most chronic attitude problem. That is not like me and I really don't like it. Is it purely a psychological thing or should I seriously be considering binning the patches and just going cold turkey? someone suggested hypnotherapy but I'm not convinced. I'm now feeling more addicted than I ever felt when smoking :hmm: can anyone suggest a way to quit the patches, the cigarettes and be a normal and social human being?

[2]MitchellRoss07

A few months ago I tried to quit smoking using a generic version of the nicotine patch that I purchased at a local CVS. I used the patch for a few days and some minor side effects such as dizziness, problems sleeping, cold sweats in the middle of the night, and minor stomach pain. I would smoke half a cigarette almost every night after removing the patch ( I realized that was not smart now, after reading post online about it = ). Anyways, I decided 4-5 days after using it that I wasn't going to quit smoking, so I took off the patch and stuck some chew in my mouth. I started driving and had a panic attack. I spit the chew out, pulled over and hyperventilated for awhile before continuing on my way to college. Ever since that night 4 months ago I have had anxiety problems, I visited a doctor and he prescribed me (Clonazepam). Taking this pill every night seems to relieve my anxiety by a fair amount, and I keep one with me just in case I have a anxiety attack as it seems to provide immediate relief. After 3 months of taking this pill once a day the doctor told me to cut my dosage by 1/2. The problem is I feel like all the pill did was hold my anxiety at bay and without it I will surely have anxiety attacks daily, it hinders my ability to do anything social for the fear of having a anxiety attack. Im constantly worried about having one. My question is " Can the nicotine patch that I took, that seems to have caused the anxiety, be the source of my anxiety? and if so what can I do about it?" I have no doubt in my mind that I had a nicotine overdose that resulted in this anxiety issues I now have. The doctors I have seen don't seem empathetic to anxiety at all and just brush it off as if it isn't a huge deal ( and trust me it is ) Has anyone else had these seemingly long-term effects from Nicotine patches? What can I do about it :(?

[3]Bjazi

Good morning all, I am 35 male and ex smoker of 16 years...I have been on the 21mg patch for four days, I was very excited to quit for me, my wife and 2 boys. Since I quit and got on the patch I am having extreme anxiety and fears, fears of lung cancer especially even though I have never had these fears when smoking !!!!!This morning I was feeling ok, a little down but not sure why... I put the patch on about an hour ago, and my anxiety is the worst ever, my mind is going as far as convincing myself that I have lung cancer since I am having slight difficulty taking deep breaths. I am even thinking "what will my family do without me" right now !!! I am in tears just thinking about lung cancer and writing this, I have been tirelessly researching and goooooogling away symptoms of lung cancer, prognosis and even treatment !!!!!!!I don't want to go back to smoking, I just can not shake this sadness and worries...

Discuss.