The Nicotine Patch is touted as one of the Great Ways to Quit Smoking, but is it really all that it's cracked up to be? Some of the side effects of the nicotine patch are even less fun than those it tries to cure. Having tried quitting (and failing) with the nicotine patch, I've gone through quite a few of the side effects myself, and they're no walk in the park.

Bizarre Dreams
Bizarre doesn't even begin to cover it. Absolutely insane starts to, but I can't help but think that the English language doesn't have wording strong enough to describe the dreams. I've woken up quite a few times in a cold sweat from these dreams, and I almost never remember my dreams normally.

Nausea, Vomiting, and Dizziness
Exactly as it sounds. I felt like I was about to fall down and puke at the same time. This is supposed to be a rare occurrence, but hearing that didn't really help. It still sucked!

Skin Irritation
This wasn't really bad, but it's worth mentioning. The area around where the patch was applied got nice and red (and stayed that way for a few days after I stopped using the patch.) Comparatively, though, I didn't really mind this one.

Conclusion
So, yeah, the side effects aren't great. I personally didn't have much luck quitting with the nicotine patch (I used something called the EasyQuit System, which is akin to quitting cold turkey, only easier) but many people seem to swear by them. I personally wouldn't use it just because of how bad the side effects are.