Over the past several decades the public opinion about cannabinoids and marijuana has transformed a lot. Many states now allow the use of marijuana, THC, or cannabinoid products for medicinal purposes. Far fewer states have legalized pot for recreational purposes, but even that would have been unthinkable even just ten or fifteen years 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 view these particular compounds as having universal healing properties. There have been contradictory studies about cannabinoids and tinnitus but research suggests there may also be negative effects like a direct link between cannabinoid use and the development of tinnitus symptoms.
Many forms of cannabinoids
There are numerous forms of cannabinoids that can be used presently. 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 more.
The forms of cannabinoids available will differ state by state, and many of those forms are still technically federally illegal if the amount of THC is over 0.3%. That’s why many individuals tend to be quite careful about cannabinoids.
The long-term complications and side effects of cannabinoid use are not well known and that’s the problem. A good example is some new research into how your hearing is affected by cannabinoid use.
Research into cannabinoids and hearing
A wide array of disorders are believed to be effectively managed by cannabinoids. According to anecdotal evidence vertigo, nausea, and seizures are just a few of the afflictions that cannabinoids can benefit. So the researchers wondered if cannabinoids could help manage tinnitus, too.
Turns out, cannabinoids may actually trigger tinnitus. Ringing in the ears was reported, according to the study, by 20% of the participants who used cannabinoids. And that’s in individuals who had never experienced tinnitus before. And tinnitus symptoms within 24 hours of consumption were 20-times higher with marijuana users.
Further investigation suggested that marijuana use could exacerbate ear-ringing symptoms in those who already have tinnitus. In other words, there’s some pretty convincing evidence that cannabinoids and tinnitus don’t really mix all that well.
It should be noted that smoking has also been linked with tinnitus and the research wasn’t clear on how participants were consuming cannabinoids.
Unclear causes of tinnitus
Just because this link has been uncovered doesn’t automatically mean the underlying causes are all that well comprehended. That cannabinoids can have an influence on the middle ear and on tinnitus is fairly clear. But it’s a lot less evident what’s producing that impact.
Research, undoubtedly, will continue. 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 lots of marketing publicity around cannabinoids. That’s in part because mindsets associated with cannabinoids are swiftly changing (and, to some extent, is also an indication of a desire to get away from opioids). But this new research makes clear that cannabinoids can and do produce some negative effects, especially if you’re uneasy about your hearing.
Lately, there’s been aggressive marketing about cannabinoids and you’ll never escape all of the cannabinoid enthusiasts.
But a strong connection between cannabinoids and tinnitus is definitely implied by this research. So if you have tinnitus–or if you’re concerned about tinnitus–it may be worth avoiding cannabinoids if you can, no matter how many adverts for CBD oil you might come across. It’s not completely clear what the connection between tinnitus and cannabinoids so exercise 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