Public opinion surrounding cannabinoids and marijuana have transformed remarkably over the last several decades. Many states currently permit the use of marijuana, THC, or cannabinoid products for medicinal uses. Not as many states have legalized marijuana for recreational applications, but even that would have been impossible even just a decade ago.
A group of substances derived from the cannabis plant (the marijuana plant, basically) are referred to as cannabinoids. Despite their recent legalization in some states, we’re still finding out new things about cannabinoids. While we now are beginning to know the countless medical beneficial properties of these compounds, it has been acknowledged for some time that tinnitus could be triggered by cannabinoids.
Numerous Forms of Cannabinoids
There are many varieties of cannabinoids that can be consumed now. It’s not just weed (or Mary Jane, or grass… look, let’s just all agree upfront that marijuana has many nicknames and move on). These days, THC and cannabinoids can be obtained in pill form, as lotions, as inhaled vapor, and more.
The forms of cannabinoids available will vary state by state, and under federal law, many types are still illegal if the amount of THC is over 0.3%. So it’s still common for people to be very careful about cannabinoids.
We still need more research and experience before we will really comprehend the long lasting and side effects of cannabinoids. One example is the new insight about how cannabinoids affect your hearing.
New Research Into Cannabinoids And Hearing
Whatever you want to call it, cannabinoids have long been linked to helping a wide range of medical conditions. Based upon information that is anecdotally available, conditions like vertigo, nausea, seizures, and countless more appear to be helped by cannabinoids. So is it possible that cannabinoids help with tinnitus? That’s exactly what scientists resolved to find out.
Seems as if cannabinoids could actually cause tinnitus. According to the research, over 20% of study participants who used cannabinoid products reported hearing a ringing in their ears. And these participants had never had tinnitus symptoms before the study. Additionally, marijuana users were 20-times more likely to report experiencing tinnitus symptoms after 24 hours.
Added research indicated that marijuana use could exacerbate ear-ringing symptoms in those who already have tinnitus. So, it seems rather certain that tinnitus and cannabinoids aren’t really compatible.
How Cannabinoids worsen tinnitus
There are a couple of definite ways in which cannabinoids can cause your tinnitus to get worse. The first is that your tinnitus can happen more frequently. Also, your bouts of tinnitus can get more intense when you use cannabinoids. The discomfort from the ringing could become louder or harder to ignore.
The research also appears to suggest that cannabinoids are capable of causing the onset of initial tinnitus symptoms. To put it another way: after you start using cannabinoids you may start to experience tinnitus symptoms even if you didn’t have them before.
Uncertain Causes of Tinnitus
We understand there is a connection between tinnitus and certain triggers but we’re still not certain what the actual underlying causes are. That cannabinoids can have an impact on the middle ear and on tinnitus is pretty clear. But it’s far less obvious what’s causing this impact.
But we recognize that using marijuana, in contrast to other mood altering substances like alcohol, can cause tinnitus.
Of course, we will continue to do the research. People will be equipped to make a practical choice as to which of the many forms of cannabinoid to go with as we obtain better insight into their connection to tinnitus.
Beware The Miracle Cure
Lately there has been a lot of hype about cannabinoids by marketers. In part, that’s due to changing attitudes about cannabinoids themselves (and, it could also indicate that people are attempting to move away from opioid use). But this new research makes it clear that cannabinoids can and do produce some negative consequence, particularly if you’re concerned about your hearing.
You won’t be able to steer clear of all of the cannabinoid enthusiasts and evangelists out there, the marketing of cannabinoids has been very assertive.
But tinnitus and cannabinoids are clearly associated based on this research. So regardless of how much advertising you see for CBD oils, if you’re concerned about tinnitus, you should most likely avoid them. It’s worth being cautious when the link between tinnitus and cannabinoids has been so solidly demonstrated.