Public opinion surrounding marijuana and cannabinoids has transformed remarkably over the last several decades. Many states now allow the use of marijuana, THC, or cannabinoid products for medicinal reasons. Substantially fewer states have legalized pot for recreational purposes, but even that would have been unimaginable even just ten or fifteen years ago.
Cannabinoids are any compounds produced by the cannabis plant (essentially, the marijuana plant). And we’re still learning new things about cannabis in spite of the fact that it’s recently been legalized in several states. It’s a common idea that cannabinoid compounds have widespread healing attributes. But research implies a strong connection between the use of cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms but there are also conflicting studies.
Numerous forms of cannabinoids
There are numerous varieties of cannabinoids that can be consumed today. It’s not only pot or weed or whatever name you want to give it. Other forms can include topical spreads, edibles, inhaled vapors, pills, and others.
The forms of cannabinoids available will differ state by state, and most of those forms are still actually illegal under federal law if the amount of THC is over 0.3%. So it’s important to be careful when using cannabinoids.
The issue is that we don’t yet know very 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.
Research into cannabinoids and hearing
Whatever you want to call it, cannabinoids have long been linked with improving a wide range of medical conditions. 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 manage tinnitus, too.
But what they discovered was that tinnitus symptoms can actually be triggered by the use of cannabinoids. According to the research, more than 20% of study participants who used cannabinoid products reported hearing a ringing in their ears. And tinnitus was never previously experienced by those participants. What’s more, marijuana users were 20-times more likely to describe experiencing tinnitus symptoms within 24 hours of consumption.
Further studies suggested that marijuana use may exacerbate ear-ringing symptoms in those who already have tinnitus. In other words, there’s some fairly persuasive evidence that cannabinoids and tinnitus don’t really work well together.
The research isn’t clear as to how the cannabinoids were consumed but it should be mentioned that smoking has also been linked to tinnitus symptoms.
Unclear causes of tinnitus
The discovery of this link doesn’t reveal the underlying cause of the relationship. That cannabinoids can have an impact on the middle ear and on tinnitus is pretty obvious. But it’s a lot less evident what’s causing that impact.
There’s bound to be more research. Individuals will be in a better position to make wiser choices if we can make progress in comprehending the link between the numerous forms of cannabinoids and tinnitus.
Don’t fall for miracle cures
Recently, there has been a great deal of marketing hype around cannabinoids. That’s partly because perceptions about cannabinoids are quickly changing (and, to some extent, is also an indication of a desire to turn away from 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.
Lately, there’s been aggressive advertising about cannabinoids and you’ll never avoid all of the cannabinoid devotees.
But this research certainly indicates a strong connection between tinnitus and cannabinoids. So regardless of how many ads for CBD oil you see, you should avoid cannabinoids if you’re concerned about tinnitus. The connection between cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms is unclear 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