Public opinion about cannabinoids and marijuana have transformed remarkably in the last few decades. THC, cannabinoids, and even marijuana are legal for medical use in the majority of states. Not as many states have legalized marijuana for recreational purposes, but even that would have been impossible even just a decade ago.
Cannabinoids are identified as a group of compounds found in the cannabis or marijuana plant. Notwithstanding their recent decriminalization in some states, we’re still finding out new things about cannabinoids. We usually consider these particular compounds as having universal healing properties, but established research implies there may also be negative impact such as a strong link between cannabinoid use and the development of tinnitus symptoms.
Cannabinoids Have Several Forms
There are lots of 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 a significant number of nicknames and move on). Oils, mists, pills and other forms of cannabinoids are currently available.
The varieties of cannabinoids available will vary depending on the state, and many of those forms are still technically illegal under federal law if the amount of THC is more than 0.3%. So it’s still common for people to be very cautious about cannabinoids.
The concern is that we don’t yet know much about some of the lasting side effects or risks of cannabinoid usage. Some new research into how cannabinoids impact your hearing is a prime example.
Cannabinoids And Your Hearing, Some New Studies
A large number of illnesses and medical conditions are thought to be helped by cannabinoids, regardless of what you like to call it. According to information that is anecdotally available, conditions like Nausea, seizures, vertigo, and countless more seem to be helped by cannabinoids. So investigators resolved to see if cannabinoids would be helpful with tinnitus, too.
Seems as if cannabinoids could actually cause tinnitus. Based on the research, over 20% of study participants who used cannabinoid products documented 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 having tinnitus symptoms after 24 hours.
And for individuals who already suffered from tinnitus, marijuana use caused it to get worse. In other words, there’s some pretty persuasive evidence that cannabinoids and tinnitus don’t really mix all that well.
How Cannabinoids Make Tinnitus Worse
There are a couple of tangible ways in which cannabinoids can make your tinnitus experience worse. First, the incidents of tinnitus symptoms can become more frequent, you may notice the buzzing or ringing in your ears more often. Also, your struggles with tinnitus can become more extreme when you’re using cannabinoids. Louder ringing that can be much harder to ignore can be the result.
Cannabinoids have also been found to trigger the onset of tinnitus symptoms. Or, stated another way: if you didn’t have tinnitus before, you may develop tinnitus after using cannabinoids.
It’s Still Unknown What Causes Tinnitus
Just because this connection has been discovered doesn’t actually mean the root causes are all that well grasped. That cannabinoids can have an impact on the middle ear and on tinnitus is pretty clear. But it’s much less obvious what’s causing this impact.
But we are aware that marijuana is one of the few frequently used mood-altering substances that causes tinnitus (alcohol, as an example, hasn’t been shown to have a direct connection to tinnitus).
Research, invariably, will continue. People will be enabled to make a practical choice concerning which of the many forms of cannabinoid to choose as we obtain deeper insight into their connection to tinnitus.
Beware The Miracle Cure
There has certainly been no shortage of marketing hype concerning cannabinoids in recent years. That’s partly because attitudes are changing about cannabinoids (and, to some extent, is also a reflection of a desire to move away from opioid use). But this new research makes it clear that cannabinoids can and do bring about some negative consequence, particularly if you’re worried about your hearing.
The marketing for cannabinoids has been extremely assertive and you can’t completely steer clear of all of the enthusiasts.
But this new research definitely suggests a strong link between tinnitus and cannabinoids. So no matter how much advertising you see for CBD oils, if you’re concerned about tinnitus, you should probably avoid them. It’s worth being careful when the connection between cannabinoids and tinnitus has been so firmly established.