Public opinion surrounding marijuana and cannabinoids has transformed remarkably over the last several decades. Many states have legalized the use of marijuana, THC, or cannabinoid products for medicinal reasons. Far fewer states have legalized pot for recreational reasons, but even that would have been unthinkable even just ten or fifteen years ago.
Cannabinoids are any compounds derived from the cannabis plant (essentially, the marijuana plant). And we’re still discovering new things about cannabis in spite of the fact that it’s recently been legalized in a number of states. We frequently view these specific compounds as having universal healing properties. There have been contradictory studies about cannabinoids and tinnitus but research suggests there might also be negative effects such as a direct connection between the use of cannabinoids and the development of tinnitus symptoms.
Numerous forms of cannabinoids
At present, cannabinoids can be consumed in a number of forms. It isn’t only pot or weed or whatever name you want to give it. These days, THC and cannabinoids are available in pill form, as topical spreads, as inhaled mists, and more.
The forms of cannabinoids available will differ state by state, and most of those forms are still actually federally illegal if the amount of THC is above 0.3%. That’s why many individuals tend to be rather careful about cannabinoids.
The long-term complications and side effects of cannabinoid use are not well known and that’s the problem. A good example is some new research into how your hearing is affected by cannabinoid use.
Research linking hearing to cannabinoids
Whatever you want to call it, cannabinoids have long been linked with helping a wide range of medical conditions. Seizures, vertigo, nausea, and more seem to be helped with cannabinoids, according to anecdotally available evidence. So the researchers wondered if cannabinoids could help manage tinnitus, too.
But what they found was that tinnitus symptoms can actually be activated by the use of cannabinoids. Ringing in the ears was reported, according to the study, by 20% of the participants who used cannabinoids. And that’s in individuals who had never experienced tinnitus before. And tinnitus symptoms within 24 hours of consumption were 20-times higher with marijuana users.
And for those who already experience ringing in the ears, using marijuana may actually worsen the symptoms. In other words, there’s some pretty convincing evidence that cannabinoids and tinnitus don’t really work well together.
The research isn’t clear as to how the cannabinoids were consumed but it should be pointed out that smoking has also been connected to tinnitus symptoms.
Causes of tinnitus are unclear
Just because this connection has been found doesn’t automatically mean the underlying causes are all that well comprehended. It’s quite clear that cannabinoids have an influence on the middle ear. But it’s a lot less clear what’s producing that impact.
There’s bound to be further research. People will be in a better position to make better choices if we can make progress in comprehending the link between the many forms of cannabinoids and tinnitus.
Don’t fall for miracle cures
In recent years, there has been lots of marketing hype surrounding cannabinoids. In part, that’s because of changing attitudes associated with cannabinoids themselves (and, to an extent, is also a reflection of a wish to get away from opioids). But some negative effects can result from cannabinoid use, particularly regarding your hearing and this is demonstrated in this new research.
Lately, there’s been aggressive advertising about cannabinoids and you’ll never escape all of the cannabinoid devotees.
But this research undeniably indicates a powerful connection between tinnitus and cannabinoids. So regardless of how many ads for CBD oil you see, you should avoid cannabinoids if you’re worried about tinnitus. The connection between cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms is uncertain at best, so it’s worth using a little caution.
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