Audiology & Hearing Care of SWFL - Bonita Springs, FL

Cannabinoids or CBD is not a miracle cure, it can cause hearing issues.

Public opinion surrounding marijuana and cannabinoids have transformed incredibly over the past several decades. Many states now permit the use of marijuana, THC, or cannabinoid products for medicinal applications. A decade ago it would have been unimaginable for marijuana to be legal for recreational use 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 uncovering new things about cannabinoids. While we now are beginning to recognize the many medical beneficial properties of these compounds, it has been well known for a while that tinnitus may be triggered by cannabinoids.

Cannabinoids Come in Numerous Kinds

There are numerous varieties of cannabinoids that can be used now. It’s not just weed (or Mary Jane, or grass… ok, let’s just all agree right now that marijuana has a significant number of nicknames and move on). Today, THC and cannabinoids can be obtained in pill form, as lotions, as inhaled vapor, and lots of others.

The types of cannabinoids available will vary state by state, and many of those forms are still officially illegal under federal law if the THC content is more than 0.3%. So it’s still common for people to be very careful about cannabinoids.

The concern is that we don’t yet grasp much about some of the long term side effects or complications of cannabinoid use. Some new research into how cannabinoids impact your hearing is a perfect example.

New Research Into Cannabinoids And How They Affect Hearing

Whatever you want to call it, cannabinoids have long been linked to helping a large number of medical ailments. Vertigo, nausea, seizures, and more seem to be improved with cannabinoids, according to anecdotally available evidence. So scientists decided to find out if cannabinoids would be helpful with tinnitus, too.

Seems as if cannabinoids may actually trigger tinnitus. Based on the research, more than 20% of study participants who used cannabinoid products reported hearing a ringing in their ears. And that’s in people who had never experienced tinnitus before. Additionally, marijuana users were 20-times more likely to report having tinnitus symptoms after 24 hours.

Further research suggested that marijuana use could exacerbate ear-ringing symptoms in those who already deal with tinnitus. So, it seems fairly certain that cannabinoids and tinnitus aren’t very compatible.

How Cannabinoids worsen tinnitus

Your tinnitus can be aggravated by cannabinoids in a couple of concrete ways. The first is that your tinnitus can become more frequent. Also, your bouts of tinnitus can become more intense when you’re using cannabinoids. Louder ringing that can be harder to ignore can be the result.

Cannabinoids have also been found to cause the onset of tinnitus symptoms. To put it a different way: after you start using cannabinoids you may start to experience tinnitus symptoms even if you had no symptoms before.

The Causes of Tinnitus Are Unknown

We understand there is a connection between tinnitus and certain triggers but we’re still uncertain what the actual root causes are. That cannabinoids can have an impact on the middle ear and on tinnitus is fairly clear. But what’s causing that impact is far less obvious.

But we do know that marijuana is one of the few frequently used mood-altering substances that causes tinnitus (alcohol, for example, hasn’t been demonstrated to have a direct connection with tinnitus).

Of course, we will continue to do the research. People will be enabled to make a smart choice as to which of the many forms of cannabinoid to go with as we gain greater insight into their connection to tinnitus.

The Miracle Cure Beware

In recent times there has been lots of hype about cannabinoids by marketers. Partly, that’s because of changing mindsets about cannabinoids themselves (and, it could also mean that people are trying to move away from opioid use). But cannabinoids can and sometimes do produce unwanted results, according to this new research, and this is particularly true regarding hearing.

The marketing for cannabinoids has been very assertive and you can’t completely avoid all of the enthusiasts.

But tinnitus and cannabinoids are clearly connected based on this research. So no matter how much advertising you see for CBD oils, if you’re worried about tinnitus, you should most likely keep away from them. The link between cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms has been pretty securely demonstrated by the research, so it’s worth exercising a little caution.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.