Public opinion surrounding marijuana and cannabinoids has changed remarkably over the last several decades. Many states now allow the use of marijuana, THC, or cannabinoid products for medicinal purposes. Far fewer states have legalized pot for recreational reasons, but even that would have been unimaginable even just ten or fifteen years ago.
Cannabinoids are any compounds produced by the cannabis plant (basically, the marijuana plant). And we’re still discovering new things about cannabis in spite of the fact that it’s recently been legalized in a number of states. It’s a common belief that cannabinoid compounds have extensive healing qualities. There have been conflicting studies about cannabinoids and tinnitus but research indicates there may also be negative effects like a strong link between cannabinoid use and the development of tinnitus symptoms.
Cannabinoids come in many forms
Nowadays, cannabinoids can be consumed in lots of forms. It isn’t only pot or weed or whatever name you want to put on it. These days, THC and cannabinoids are available in the form of a pill, as inhaled mists, as topical spreads, and others.
Any of these forms that have a THC level above 0.3% are technically still federally illegal and the available forms will fluctuate depending on the state. That’s why many people tend to be rather cautious about cannabinoids.
The issue is that we don’t yet know much about some of the long-term side effects or complications of cannabinoid use. Some new research into how cannabinoids affect your hearing are perfect examples.
Studies linking hearing to cannabinoids
Whatever you want to call it, cannabinoids have long been linked with helping a wide range of medical disorders. According to anecdotal evidence vertigo, nausea, and seizures are just a few of the conditions that cannabinoids can benefit. So the researchers wondered if cannabinoids could help manage tinnitus, too.
But what they found 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 reported hearing a ringing in their ears. And that’s in people who had never experienced tinnitus before. And tinnitus symptoms within 24 hours of consumption were 20-times higher with people who use marijuana.
Further research suggested that marijuana use could exacerbate ear-ringing symptoms in individuals who already have tinnitus. Put simply, there’s some fairly compelling evidence that cannabinoids and tinnitus don’t really mix all that well.
The research isn’t clear as to how the cannabinoids were used but it should be mentioned that smoking has also been linked to tinnitus symptoms.
Causes of tinnitus are unclear
Just because this connection has been uncovered doesn’t necessarily mean the underlying causes are all that well known. That cannabinoids can have an affect on the middle ear and on tinnitus is pretty clear. But it’s a lot less evident what’s causing that impact.
There’s bound to be more research. Cannabinoids today come in so many selections and forms that comprehending the root link between these substances and tinnitus might help individuals make better choices.
Don’t fall for miracle cures
There has certainly been no scarcity of marketing publicity around cannabinoids in recent years. In part, that’s because of changing mindsets surrounding cannabinoids themselves (this also demonstrates a growing wish to get away from opioid use). But this new research clearly demonstrates that cannabinoids can and do cause some negative effects, especially if you’re concerned about your hearing.
Lately, there’s been aggressive advertising about cannabinoids and you’ll never avoid all of the cannabinoid devotees.
But a powerful connection between cannabinoids and tinnitus is certainly implied by this research. 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 exercising some caution.
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
