Public opinion surrounding marijuana and cannabinoids has changed significantly over the last several decades. Many states now allow the use of marijuana, THC, or cannabinoid products for medicinal reasons. The idea that some states (fewer) even allow the recreational use of pot would have been hard to imagine a decade ago.
Cannabinoids are any substances produced by the cannabis plant (essentially, the marijuana plant). In spite of their recent legalization (in some states), we’re still discovering new things about cannabinoids. It’s a common notion that cannabinoid compounds have extensive healing qualities. But research implies a strong connection between the use of cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms but there are also conflicting studies.
Cannabinoids come in many forms
At present, cannabinoids can be used in lots of varieties. It’s not only pot or weed or whatever name you want to give it. Other forms can include topical spreads, edibles, pills, inhalable vapors, and others.
Any of these forms that have a THC level higher than 0.3% are technically still federally illegal and the available forms will differ by state. So it’s essential to be cautious 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. A great example is some new research into how your hearing is impacted by cannabinoid use.
Research connecting hearing to cannabinoids
Whatever you want to call it, cannabinoids have long been associated with helping a wide variety of medical conditions. Seizures, vertigo, nausea, and more seem to be helped with cannabinoids, according to anecdotally available evidence. So the researchers wondered if cannabinoids could help manage tinnitus, too.
Turns out, cannabinoids may actually cause tinnitus. Ringing in the ears was documented, according to the study, by 20% of the participants who used cannabinoids. And that’s in individuals 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 people who already cope with ringing in the ears, using marijuana may actually exacerbate the symptoms. So, it would seem, from this compelling research, that the link between tinnitus and cannabinoids is not a positive one.
The research isn’t clear as to how the cannabinoids were used but it should be noted that smoking has also been linked to tinnitus symptoms.
Unknown causes of tinnitus
The discovery of this link doesn’t expose the underlying cause of the relationship. It’s pretty clear that cannabinoids have an influence on the middle ear. But what’s causing that impact is a lot less clear.
There’s bound to be further research. Individuals will be in a better position to make wiser choices if we can make progress in understanding the connection between the many varieties of cannabinoids and tinnitus.
Beware the miracle cure
Recently, there has been a great deal of marketing publicity surrounding cannabinoids. That’s in part because perceptions associated with cannabinoids are rapidly changing (this also reflects a growing wish to get away from the use of opioids). But this new research clearly demonstrates that cannabinoids can and do produce some negative effects, particularly if you’re uneasy about your hearing.
You’ll never be capable of avoiding all of the cannabinoid aficionados and evangelists in the world–the advertising for cannabinoids has been particularly aggressive lately.
But this research certainly indicates a powerful 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 concerned about tinnitus. It’s not exactly clear what the connection between tinnitus and cannabinoids so use 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