Public opinion about marijuana and cannabinoids has changed remarkably over the past several decades. Cannabinoids, marijuana, and THC products are now legal for medical use in many states. The concept that some states (fewer) even allow the recreational usage of pot would have been hard to imagine 10 years ago.
Cannabinoids are any substances produced by the cannabis plant (essentially, the marijuana plant). And we’re still learning new things about cannabis despite the fact that it’s recently been legalized in a number of states. We frequently view these specific compounds as having universal healing properties. There have been conflicting studies about cannabinoids and tinnitus but research indicates there might also be negative effects like a strong connection between cannabinoid use and the development of tinnitus symptoms.
Many forms of cannabinoids
At present, cannabinoids can be utilized in a number of forms. 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 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 above 0.3%. So it’s important to be cautious when using cannabinoids.
The long-term complications and side effects of cannabinoid use are not well understood and that’s the problem. Some new studies into how cannabinoids impact your hearing are prime examples.
Research connecting hearing to cannabinoids
Whatever you want to call it, cannabinoids have long been connected with helping a wide range of medical conditions. Seizures, nausea, vertigo, and more seem to be helped with cannabinoids, according to anecdotally available evidence. So the researchers wondered if cannabinoids could help treat 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 people who had never experienced tinnitus before. What’s more, marijuana users were 20-times more likely to describe experiencing tinnitus symptoms within 24 hours of consumption.
Further investigation indicated that marijuana use could worsen ear-ringing symptoms in individuals who already suffer from tinnitus. In other words, there’s some fairly convincing evidence that cannabinoids and tinnitus don’t really mix all that well.
The research is unclear as to how the cannabinoids were used but it should be pointed out that smoking has also been linked to tinnitus symptoms.
Causes of tinnitus are not clear
The discovery of this link doesn’t expose the root cause of the relationship. It’s pretty clear that cannabinoids have an influence on the middle ear. But what’s producing that impact is far less clear.
There’s bound to be more research. Cannabinoids today come in so many selections and types that comprehending the root connection between these substances and tinnitus might help individuals make better choices.
Beware the miracle cure
There has undeniably been no scarcity of marketing hype surrounding cannabinoids recently. To some extent, that’s due to changing mindsets surrounding cannabinoids themselves (and, to an extent, is also a reflection of a wish to get away from opioids). But some negative effects can come from the use of cannabinoids, especially regarding your hearing and this is reflected in this new research.
You’ll never be able to avoid all of the cannabinoid enthusiasts and devotees in the world–the advertising for cannabinoids has been particularly aggressive lately.
But a strong link between cannabinoids and tinnitus is certainly indicated by this research. So regardless of 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 unclear at best, so it’s worth using a little 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