Public opinion about marijuana and cannabinoids has transformed significantly over the last several decades. Cannabinoids, marijuana, and THC products are now legal for medical usage in many states. Far fewer states have legalized pot for recreational purposes, but even that would have been unthinkable even just ten or fifteen years ago.
Any compounds produced by the cannabis plant (the marijuana plant, essentially) are known as cannabinoids. And we’re still discovering new things about cannabis despite the fact that it’s recently been legalized in several states. We often view these particular compounds as having widespread healing properties. But research suggests a strong connection between the use of cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms but there are also conflicting studies.
Cannabinoids come in various forms
There are many varieties of cannabinoids that can be utilized nowadays. Whatever name you want to put on it, pot or weed isn’t the only form. These days, THC and cannabinoids are available in pill form, as topical spreads, as inhaled mists, and others.
The forms of cannabinoids available will vary state by state, and most of those forms are still technically illegal under federal law if the THC content is over 0.3%. So it’s important to be careful with the use of 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. Some new studies into how cannabinoids affect your hearing are perfect examples.
Research into cannabinoids and hearing
A myriad of disorders are believed to be effectively managed by cannabinoids. Seizures, vertigo, nausea, and more seem to be helped with cannabinoids, according to anecdotally available evidence. So the researchers wondered if cannabinoids could help treat tinnitus, too.
But what they found was that tinnitus symptoms can actually be activated by the use of cannabinoids. Ringing in the ears was documented, according to the study, by 20% of the participants who used cannabinoids. And tinnitus was never formerly experienced by those participants. Furthermore, marijuana users were 20-times more likely to report experiencing tinnitus symptoms within 24 hours of consumption.
And for those who already experience ringing in the ears, using marijuana would actually exacerbate the symptoms. So, it would seem, from this persuasive research, that the link between tinnitus and cannabinoids is not a beneficial 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.
Causes of tinnitus are not clear
Just because this link has been found doesn’t automatically mean the underlying causes are all that well comprehended. It’s quite clear that cannabinoids have an impact on the middle ear. But what’s causing that impact is a lot less clear.
Research, obviously, will continue. People will be in a better position to make better choices if we can make progress in understanding the link between the numerous varieties of cannabinoids and tinnitus.
Beware the miracle cure
There has certainly been no scarcity of marketing hype associated with cannabinoids in recent years. To some extent, that’s the result of changing mindsets surrounding cannabinoids themselves (this also reflects a growing wish to get away from opioid use). But some negative effects can come from the use of cannabinoids, particularly regarding your hearing and this is reflected in this new research.
You’ll never be able to avoid all of the cannabinoid aficionados and evangelists in the world–the marketing for cannabinoids has been particularly aggressive lately.
But a strong link between cannabinoids and tinnitus is definitely implied by this research. So if you are dealing with tinnitus–or if you’re worried 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 using a little caution.
Call Today to Set Up an Appointment
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