Public opinion about cannabinoids and marijuana have transformed remarkably in the past few decades. THC, cannabinoids, and even marijuana are legal for medical application in most states. Not as many states have legalized marijuana for recreational purposes, but even that would have been unthinkable even just a decade ago.
A group of substances derived from the cannabis plant (the marijuana plant, basically) are known as cannabinoids. Despite their recent decriminalization in certain states, we’re still uncovering new things about cannabinoids. While we now are beginning to acknowledge the numerous medical beneficial properties of these compounds, it has been well known for a while that tinnitus might be triggered by cannabinoids.
Cannabinoids Have Many Types
Nowadays, cannabinoids can be taken in lots of forms. It isn’t just weed (or ganja, or refer…..ok, there are lots of nicknames for marijuana so let’s move ahead). Pills, oils, mists and other variations of cannabinoids are currently available.
Each state has it’s own regulations regarding which forms of cannabinoids you can purchase, and under federal law, many forms are still illegal if the amount of THC is more than 0.3%. That’s why some people tend to be rather cautious about cannabinoids.
We still require more research and experience before we will really comprehend the long range and side effects of cannabinoids. Some current research into how cannabinoids affect your hearing is a good example.
New Studies Into Cannabinoids And How They Affect Hearing
A wide range of illnesses and medical conditions are believed to be improved by cannabinoids, regardless of what you like to call it. Based on information that is anecdotally available, conditions like vertigo, nausea, seizures, and many more appear to be helped by cannabinoids. So could cannabinoids assist with tinnitus? That’s exactly what researchers resolved to figure out.
Tinnitus might actually be caused by cannabinoid use, as it turns out. Based on the research, over 20% of study participants who used cannabinoid products noted hearing a ringing in their ears. And that’s in people who had never dealt with tinnitus before. Additionally, marijuana users were 20-times more likely to report experiencing tinnitus symptoms after 24 hours.
And for those who already suffered from tinnitus, marijuana usage made it worse. So, it seems rather certain that cannabinoids and tinnitus 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 become more frequent, you could notice the ringing or buzzing in your ears more frequently. Cannabinoids can also make those tinnitus episodes more extreme. The discomfort from the ringing could get more noticeable or harder to ignore.
Cannabinoids have also been found to trigger the onset of tinnitus symptoms. Or, explained another way: after you begin using cannabinoids you might develop tinnitus symptoms even if you had no symptoms before.
It’s Still Not Clear What Causes Tinnitus
Just because this link has been discovered doesn’t actually mean the root causes are very well known. That cannabinoids can have an affect on the middle ear and on tinnitus is fairly clear. But it’s far less evident what’s causing this impact.
But we know that marijuana use, as opposed to other mood altering substances such as alcohol, will cause tinnitus.
Of course, we will keep doing research. People will be equipped to make a practical choice concerning which of the many forms of cannabinoid to choose as we gain deeper insight into their connection to tinnitus.
The Miracle Cure Beware
Lately there has been lots of hype created around cannabinoids by marketers. In part, that’s the result of changing mindsets surrounding cannabinoids themselves (and, it could also reveal that people are attempting to move away from opioid use). But this new research clearly shows that cannabinoids can and do produce some negative effects, specifically if you’re worried about your hearing.
You won’t be able to avoid all of the cannabinoid fans and evangelists in the world, the marketing of cannabinoids has been very assertive.
But cannabinoids and tinnitus are clearly associated based on this research. So no matter how many adds you see for CBD oils, if you’re worried about tinnitus, you should probably keep away from them. The connection between cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms has been pretty securely demonstrated by the research, so it’s worth exercising a little caution.
