Public opinion surrounding marijuana and cannabinoids has changed remarkably over the past several decades. Cannabinoids, marijuana, and THC products are now legal for medical usage in many states. The idea that some states (fewer) even allow the recreational usage of pot would have been hard to imagine a decade ago.
Cannabinoids are any compounds produced by the cannabis plant (essentially, the marijuana plant). Despite their recent legalization (in some states), we’re still learning new things about cannabinoids. We often think of these specific compounds as having universal healing qualities. But research suggests a strong link between the use of cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms but there are also conflicting studies.
Cannabinoids come in many forms
There are many forms of cannabinoids that can be used today. It isn’t just pot or weed or whatever name you want to put on it. Other forms can include topical spreads, edibles, inhaled vapors, pills, 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 fluctuate depending on the state. So it’s essential to be careful with the use of cannabinoids.
The long-term complications and side effects of cannabinoid use are not well known and that’s the issue. A good example is some new research into how your hearing is affected by cannabinoid use.
Studies About cannabinoids and hearing
A myriad of conditions are believed to be successfully treated by cannabinoids. According to anecdotal evidence vertigo, nausea, and seizures are just a few of the conditions that cannabinoids can help. So researchers decided to see if cannabinoids could treat tinnitus, too.
But what they discovered was that tinnitus symptoms can actually be caused 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. And tinnitus symptoms within 24 hours of consumption were 20-times higher with people who use marijuana.
And for people who already cope with ringing in the ears, using marijuana could actually worsen the symptoms. Put simply, there’s some fairly compelling evidence that cannabinoids and tinnitus don’t really mix all that well.
The research is unclear as to how the cannabinoids were consumed but it should be pointed out that smoking has also been connected to tinnitus symptoms.
Unknown causes of tinnitus
The discovery of this link doesn’t expose the underlying cause of the relationship. That cannabinoids can have an influence on the middle ear and on tinnitus is pretty obvious. But it’s a lot less clear what’s causing that impact.
There’s bound to be further research. Cannabinoids today are available in so many varieties and forms that comprehending the underlying link between these substances and tinnitus could help people make smarter choices.
Beware the miracle cure
There has undeniably been no scarcity of marketing hype associated with cannabinoids recently. That’s in part because attitudes associated with cannabinoids are swiftly changing (this also reflects a growing desire to get away from the use of opioids). But some negative effects can come from cannabinoid use, 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 aficionados and evangelists in the world–the advertising for cannabinoids has been particularly intense lately.
But this research undeniably indicates a powerful link between tinnitus and cannabinoids. So no matter how many ads for CBD oil you see, you should avoid cannabinoids if you’re worried about tinnitus. The connection between cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms is uncertain at best, so it’s worth exercising a little 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