Hi,

I'm sorry to hear about the rough time you and your boyfriend are going through. I strongly suspect that his moodswings/short temper are nicotine withdrawal - I'm not a doctor, but I have great experience in quitting smoking!

I tried Zyban, unsuccessfully, and was finally able to quit using nicotine replacement therapy. It was the only way I could keep from killing my beloved family in the process.

Here's what I did, just to give you an idea:

1 month - Level 2 patch (medium)
1 month - Level 3 patch (lowest)
1 month - 2 mg nicotine gum, as needed. (1-3/day)

It's now the 4th month, and I occasionally chew a piece of the gum. I'm comfortable with the fact that I may have some on hand for the rest of my life.

Just another perspective - good luck!