Public opinion surrounding cannabinoids and marijuana have changed incredibly over the last several decades. THC, cannabinoids, and even marijuana are legal for medical application in the majority of states. Not as many states have legalized marijuana for recreational applications, but even that would have been unimaginable even just ten or fifteen years ago.
Cannabinoids are classified as a group of compounds derived from the cannabis or marijuana plant. Regardless of their recent decriminalization in some states, we’re still finding out new things about cannabinoids. We usually think of these particular substances as having universal healing properties, but current research suggests there may also be negative effects such as a strong connection between cannabinoid usage and the occurrence of tinnitus symptoms.
Cannabinoids Have Numerous Forms
These days, cannabinoids can be consumed in various forms. It isn’t just weed (or ganja, or refer…..ok, there are lots of nicknames for marijuana so let’s move ahead). These days, THC and cannabinoids can be obtained in pill form, as lotions, as inhaled mists, and more.
Every state has it’s own laws regarding what forms of cannabinoids you can purchase, and under federal law, many types are still illegal if the amount of THC is over 0.3%. That’s why some people tend to be very cautious about cannabinoids.
The problem is that we don’t yet know much concerning some of the lasting side effects or risks of cannabinoid usage. Some current research into how cannabinoids influence your hearing is a good example.
New Studies Into Cannabinoids And Hearing
A wide variety of ailments and medical conditions are believed to be improved by cannabinoids, whatever you like to call it. Vertigo, nausea, seizures, and more seem to be improved with cannabinoids, according to anecdotally available information. So researchers decided to find out if cannabinoids would be helpful with tinnitus, as well.
Seems as if cannabinoids might actually trigger tinnitus. Based on the research, more than 20% of study participants who used cannabinoid products noted 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 experiencing tinnitus symptoms after 24 hours.
Added research suggested that marijuana use could aggravate ear-ringing symptoms in people who already have tinnitus. In other words, there’s some very strong evidence that tinnitus and cannabinoids don’t really mix very well.
How Cannabinoids worsen tinnitus
Your tinnitus can be worsened by cannabinoids in a couple of tangible ways. The first is that your tinnitus can happen more frequently. Also, your bouts of tinnitus can become more overwhelming when you use cannabinoids. The discomfort from the ringing could become more intense or harder to just ignore.
Cannabinoids have also been shown to lead to the onset of tinnitus symptoms. To put it another way: if you didn’t have tinnitus before, you may develop tinnitus after using cannabinoids.
The Causes of Tinnitus Are Unclear
Just because this link has been discovered doesn’t inevitably mean the root causes are very well understood. It’s clear that cannabinoids can have an effect on the middle ear and symptoms of tinnitus. But it’s far less evident what’s causing this impact.
But we are aware that marijuana is one of the few commonly used mood-altering substances that causes tinnitus (alcohol, as an example, hasn’t been demonstrated to have a strong connection to tinnitus).
Of course, we will keep doing research. People will be equipped to make a smart choice regarding which of the many kinds of cannabinoid to choose as we obtain greater insight into their link to tinnitus.
Beware The Miracle Cure
There has definitely been no lack of marketing hype surrounding cannabinoids recently. That’s partly because mindsets are transforming about cannabinoids (and, it could also indicate that people are making an attempt to move away from opioid use). But this new research clearly demonstrates that cannabinoids can and do produce some negative effects, specifically if you’re worried about your hearing.
The marketing for cannabinoids has been particularly assertive and you can’t completely escape all of the fanatics.
But cannabinoids and tinnitus are clearly connected based on this research. So regardless of how many adds you see for CBD oils, if you’re worried about tinnitus, you should most likely steer clear of them. It’s worth being careful when the link between cannabinoids and tinnitus has been so solidly established.
