Public opinion about 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. Substantially fewer states have legalized marijuana for recreational reasons, but even that would have been unthinkable even just ten or fifteen years ago.
Any substances produced by the cannabis plant (the marijuana plant, basically) are known as cannabinoids. Despite their recent legalization (in some states), we’re still learning new things about cannabinoids. We frequently think of these specific compounds as having widespread healing properties. But research suggests a strong connection between the use of cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms but there are also contradictory studies.
Many forms of cannabinoids
There are many forms of cannabinoids that can be utilized today. It isn’t just pot or weed or whatever name you want to put on it. Other forms can include topical spreads, edibles, pills, inhalable vapors, and others.
The forms of cannabinoids available will vary state by state, and many of those forms are still technically federally illegal if the THC content is above 0.3%. So it’s essential to be careful when using cannabinoids.
The problem is that we don’t yet know very much about some of the long-term side effects or complications of cannabinoid use. Some new studies into how cannabinoids impact your hearing are perfect examples.
Studies connecting hearing to cannabinoids
Whatever you want to call it, cannabinoids have long been associated with improving a wide range of medical disorders. According to anecdotal evidence vertigo, nausea, and seizures are just a few of the conditions that cannabinoids can help. So the researchers wondered if cannabinoids could help treat tinnitus, too.
But what they discovered was that tinnitus symptoms can actually be triggered by the use of cannabinoids. Ringing in the ears was documented, according to the study, by 20% of the participants who used cannabinoids. And that’s in people who had never experienced tinnitus before. And tinnitus symptoms within 24 hours of consumption were 20-times more likely with marijuana users.
And for individuals who already experience ringing in the ears, using marijuana would actually worsen the symptoms. Put simply, there’s some rather persuasive evidence that cannabinoids and tinnitus don’t really work well together.
The research is unclear as to how the cannabinoids were used but it should be mentioned that smoking has also been connected to tinnitus symptoms.
Causes of tinnitus are unclear
The discovery of this link doesn’t reveal the root cause of the relationship. It’s fairly clear that cannabinoids have an impact on the middle ear. But it’s a lot less clear what’s producing that impact.
There’s bound to be more research. People will be in a better position to make wiser choices if we can make progress in comprehending the connection between the numerous forms of cannabinoids and tinnitus.
Don’t fall for miracle cures
There has undeniably been no lack of marketing hype surrounding cannabinoids in recent years. In part, that’s because of changing mindsets surrounding cannabinoids themselves (and, to some extent, is also a reflection of a desire to get away from opioids). But some negative effects can result from the use of cannabinoids, particularly regarding your hearing and this is reflected in this new research.
You’ll never be able to avoid all of the cannabinoid aficionados and devotees in the world–the advertising for cannabinoids has been especially intense lately.
But a powerful link between cannabinoids and tinnitus is certainly implied by this research. So if you have tinnitus–or if you’re worried about tinnitus–it may be worth steering clear of cannabinoids if you can, no matter how many adverts for CBD oil you may come across. The link between cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms is uncertain at best, so it’s worth exercising 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