Public opinion surrounding marijuana and cannabinoids have changed remarkably in the last few decades. THC, cannabinoids, and even marijuana are legal for medical use in most 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.
Cannabinoids are classified as a group of compounds derived from the cannabis or marijuana plant. Despite their recent legalization in some states, we’re still learning new things about cannabinoids. We often consider these particular substances as having universal healing properties, but existing research suggests there might also be negative impact such as a strong connection between cannabinoid use and the occurrence of tinnitus symptoms.
There Are Many Kinds of Cannabinoids
There are many forms of cannabinoids that can be taken now. It’s not just weed (or refer, or grass… ok, let’s just all agree upfront that marijuana has many nicknames and move on). These days, THC and cannabinoids can be obtained in pill form, as topical spreads, as inhaled vapor, and more.
The types of cannabinoids available will vary state by state, and many of those varieties are still officially illegal under federal law if the amount of THC is more than 0.3%. So it’s still normal for people to be very careful about cannabinoids.
We still require more research and experience before we will really comprehend the long lasting and side effects of cannabinoids. Some new research into how cannabinoids influence your hearing is a perfect example.
New Research 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. Seizures, nausea, vertigo, and more seem to be improved with cannabinoids, according to available anecdotal information. So scientists decided to see if cannabinoids could help with tinnitus, too.
Seems as if cannabinoids could actually trigger tinnitus. According to the research, more than 20% of study participants who employed cannabinoid products reported hearing a ringing in their ears. And that’s in individuals who had never dealt with tinnitus before. Additionally, marijuana users were 20-times more likely to report having tinnitus symptoms after 24 hours.
Added research indicated that marijuana use could exacerbate ear-ringing symptoms in individuals who already have tinnitus. This basically means, there’s some pretty strong evidence that tinnitus and cannabinoids don’t really mix very well.
How Cannabinoids worsen tinnitus
Your tinnitus can be aggravated by cannabinoids in a couple of tangible ways. The first is that your tinnitus can happen more frequently. Cannabinoids can also cause tinnitus symptoms to become more extreme. The discomfort from the ringing may become more intense or harder to just ignore.
The research also seems to reveal that cannabinoids can cause the onset of initial tinnitus symptoms. To put it another way: if you didn’t have tinnitus before, you could develop tinnitus after using cannabinoids.
It’s Still Not Clear What Causes Tinnitus
We understand there is a link between tinnitus and certain triggers but we’re still not certain what the actual root causes are. That cannabinoids can have an affect on the middle ear and on tinnitus is fairly clear. But what’s causing that impact is much less obvious.
But we know that using marijuana, as opposed to other mood altering substances like alcohol, will cause tinnitus.
Research, invariably, will continue. Cannabinoids today come in so many varieties and forms that discovering the root connection between these substances and tinnitus would help people make better choices.
The Miracle Cure Beware
Recently there has been lots of hype about cannabinoids by marketers. Partly, that’s the result of changing mindsets surrounding cannabinoids themselves (and, to an extent, is also a reflection of a desire to move away from opioid use). But this new research makes clear that cannabinoids can and do bring about some negative consequence, particularly if you’re worried about your hearing.
The marketing about cannabinoids has been especially assertive and you can’t totally steer clear of all of the fanatics.
But tinnitus and cannabinoids are clearly linked based on this research. So no matter how many adds you see for CBD oils, if you’re concerned about tinnitus, you should most likely keep away from them. It’s worth being careful when the connection between tinnitus and cannabinoids has been so solidly established.