Public opinion surrounding marijuana and cannabinoids have transformed incredibly over the past few decades. THC, cannabinoids, and even marijuana are legal for medical application in the majority of states. A decade ago it would have been unthinkable for marijuana to be legal for recreational usage but some states have even passed this law.
A group of compounds derived from the cannabis plant (the marijuana plant, essentially) are known as cannabinoids. Despite their recent decriminalization in some states, we’re still discovering new things about cannabinoids. We often think of these particular substances as having universal healing qualities, but current research suggests there might also be negative effects such as a strong connection between cannabinoid use and the development of tinnitus symptoms.
Numerous Types of Cannabinoids
There are numerous varieties of cannabinoids that can be taken now. It’s not just pot (or refer, or grass… ok, let’s just all agree upfront that marijuana has many nicknames and move on). Pills, oils, vapors and other variations of cannabinoids are currently available.
The varieties 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%. That’s the reason why some people are quite careful about cannabinoids.
The problem is that we don’t yet know much about some of the potential side effects or risks of cannabinoid use. Some new research into how cannabinoids affect your hearing is a prime example.
New Research Into Cannabinoids And Hearing
Whatever you want to call it, cannabinoids have long been associated with helping a wide variety of medical ailments. Seizures, nausea, vertigo, and more seem to be improved with cannabinoids, according to available anecdotal evidence. So could cannabinoids assist with tinnitus? That’s what researchers resolved to find out.
Tinnitus could actually be triggered by cannabinoid use, as it turns out. According to the research, more than 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. What’s more, marijuana users were 20-times more likely to report having tinnitus symptoms after 24 hours.
And for those who already suffered from tinnitus, marijuana use caused it to get worse. So, it seems rather certain that tinnitus and cannabinoids aren’t really compatible.
How Cannabinoids Make Tinnitus Worse
Your tinnitus can be worsened by cannabinoids in a couple of tangible ways. First, the incidents of tinnitus symptoms can get more frequent, you might experience the ringing or buzzing in your ears more often. Cannabinoids can also make those tinnitus episodes more extreme. The discomfort from the ringing may become more noticeable or harder to ignore.
The research also seems to indicate that cannabinoids can cause the development of the initial symptoms of tinnitus. Or, explained another way: after you begin using cannabinoids you may develop tinnitus symptoms even if you didn’t have them before.
It’s Still Not Clear What Causes Tinnitus
Just because this connection has been discovered doesn’t necessarily mean the underlying causes are all that well known. It’s clear that cannabinoids can have an effect on the middle ear and tinnitus symptoms. But what’s causing that impact is far less evident.
But we recognize that marijuana use, unlike other mood altering substances like alcohol, can cause tinnitus.
Research, unquestionably, will continue. People will be enabled to make a practical choice concerning which of the many kinds of cannabinoid to choose as we obtain better insight into their link to tinnitus.
The Miracle Cure Beware
In recent times there has been a lot of hype about cannabinoids by marketers. Partly, that’s because of changing mindsets surrounding cannabinoids themselves (and, to some extent, is also an indication of a desire to turn away from opioids). But cannabinoids can and at times do produce unwanted effects, according to this new research, and this is especially true concerning hearing.
You’ll never be able to escape all of the cannabinoid fans and evangelists out there, the marketing for cannabinoids has been especially assertive.
But cannabinoids and tinnitus are clearly associated based on this research. So if you have tinnitus, or if you’re concerned about tinnitus it may be worth steering clear of cannabinoids if you can, no matter how many adverts for CBD oil you might come across. It’s worth being careful when the link between cannabinoids and tinnitus has been so solidly demonstrated.
