Public opinion about 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 unthinkable even just ten or fifteen years ago.
Cannabinoids are any compounds derived from 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. We often think of these particular compounds as having universal 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 numerous forms
At present, cannabinoids can be utilized in lots of forms. Whatever name you want to give it, pot or weed is not the only form. Other forms can include topical spreads, edibles, inhaled vapors, pills, and more.
The forms of cannabinoids available will differ state by state, and most of those forms are still actually federally illegal if the THC content is above 0.3%. That’s why most people tend to be quite careful about 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 affected by cannabinoid use.
Research into cannabinoids and hearing
Whatever you want to call it, cannabinoids have long been associated with helping a large number of medical conditions. According to anecdotal evidence vertigo, nausea, and seizures are just a few of the afflictions that cannabinoids can benefit. So researchers decided to see if cannabinoids could help with tinnitus, too.
But what they found was that tinnitus symptoms can actually be activated by the use of cannabinoids. 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. What’s more, marijuana users were 20-times more likely to describe experiencing tinnitus symptoms within 24 hours of consumption.
And for those who already experience ringing in the ears, using marijuana could actually worsen the symptoms. So, it would appear, from this persuasive evidence, that the link between cannabinoids and tinnitus is not a positive one.
The research isn’t clear as to how the cannabinoids were used but it should be pointed out that smoking has also been connected to tinnitus symptoms.
Unknown causes of tinnitus
Just because this connection has been uncovered doesn’t automatically mean the root causes are all that well understood. It’s pretty clear that cannabinoids have an influence on the middle ear. But it’s a lot less clear what’s producing that impact.
Research, obviously, will continue. Cannabinoids today are available in so many selections and forms that comprehending the fundamental connection between these substances and tinnitus might help individuals make better choices.
Don’t fall for miracle cures
There has certainly been no shortage of marketing publicity surrounding cannabinoids recently. To some extent, that’s due to changing attitudes associated with cannabinoids themselves (this also demonstrates a growing wish to get away from the use of opioids). But this new research makes clear that cannabinoids can and do cause some negative effects, particularly if you’re concerned about your hearing.
Lately, there’s been aggressive marketing about cannabinoids and you’ll never escape all of the cannabinoid enthusiasts.
But a powerful link between cannabinoids and tinnitus is certainly implied by this research. So if you have tinnitus–or if you’re concerned about tinnitus–it might be worth avoiding cannabinoids if you can, no matter how many adverts for CBD oil you might come across. The link between cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms is uncertain at best, so it’s worth exercising some caution.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5855477/
https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aaohnsf/82180
