Over the past several decades the public opinion about cannabinoids and marijuana has changed considerably. Many states have legalized the use of marijuana, THC, or cannabinoid products for medicinal purposes. Far fewer states have legalized marijuana for recreational reasons, but even that would have been unthinkable even just ten or fifteen years ago.
Any compounds produced by the cannabis plant (the marijuana plant, basically) are known as cannabinoids. And we’re still discovering new things about cannabis in spite of the fact that it’s recently been legalized in several states. We frequently think of these specific compounds as having universal healing properties. But research implies a strong connection between the use of cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms but there are also conflicting studies.
Cannabinoids come in numerous forms
There are many forms of cannabinoids that can be utilized presently. It’s not only pot or weed or whatever name you want to give it. These days, THC and cannabinoids are available in pill form, as topical spreads, as inhaled mists, and more.
Any of these forms that contain a THC level higher than 0.3% are technically still federally illegal and the available forms will differ by state. That’s why many individuals tend to be quite cautious about cannabinoids.
The problem is that we don’t yet know much about some of the long-term side effects or complications of cannabinoid use. A good example is some new research into how your hearing is affected by cannabinoid use.
Studies connecting hearing to cannabinoids
Whatever you want to call it, cannabinoids have long been connected with improving a wide range of medical disorders. Seizures, vertigo, nausea, and more seem to be improved with cannabinoids, according to anecdotally available evidence. So researchers decided to find out if cannabinoids could help with tinnitus, too.
But what they discovered was that tinnitus symptoms can actually be caused by the use of cannabinoids. According to the research, over 20% of study participants who used cannabinoid products documented hearing a ringing in their ears. And that’s in people who had never experienced tinnitus before. What’s more, marijuana users were 20-times more likely to report experiencing tinnitus symptoms within 24 hours of consumption.
And for those who already cope with ringing in the ears, using marijuana could actually exacerbate the symptoms. So, it would appear, from this compelling research, that the link between cannabinoids and tinnitus is not a positive one.
The research is unclear as to how the cannabinoids were used but it should be mentioned that smoking has also been linked to tinnitus symptoms.
Unclear causes of tinnitus
Just because this connection has been found doesn’t automatically mean the underlying causes are all that well known. It’s quite clear that cannabinoids have an impact on the middle ear. But it’s far less evident what’s causing that impact.
There’s bound to be further research. Individuals will be in a better position to make better choices if we can make progress in understanding the link between the many forms of cannabinoids and tinnitus.
Beware the miracle cure
There has certainly been no lack of marketing publicity around cannabinoids in recent years. That’s in part because mindsets surrounding cannabinoids are swiftly changing (this also shows a growing desire to get away from the use of opioids). But some negative effects can result from the use of cannabinoids, particularly with regards to your hearing and this is demonstrated in this new research.
You’ll never be able to avoid all of the cannabinoid enthusiasts and evangelists in the world–the marketing for cannabinoids has been particularly intense lately.
But this research undeniably suggests a strong connection between tinnitus and cannabinoids. So regardless of how many ads for CBD oil you see, you should steer clear of cannabinoids if you’re worried about tinnitus. The link between cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms is unclear at best, so it’s worth using some caution.
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References
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lio2.479
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5855477/
https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aaohnsf/82180