Update: 8/2/20. Tinnitus is a health issue I've been dealing with for several years. Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the most popular alternative treatments for a variety of health issues. How many? You name it, they claim it. So, does CBD help tinnitus/Meniere's disease? I recommend caution for now. Below, I'll show you the research on CBD for tinnitus. After reading this, I think you will agree, it may not just be a waste of money -it may be much worse. Read the other tinnitus reviews in this series for more insights. Here's my podcast on CBD research and side effects.
What Is CBD?
As the name suggests, cannabidiol (CBD) is a molecule in the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa). Unlike THC, CBD does not get people “high.” Because hemp-derived cannabidiol has become very popular for treating all sorts of health problems (arthritis, depression, PTSD, high blood pressure, etc), it was just a matter of time before people started wondering if it also helped ringing in the ears caused by Meniere's disease or other forms of tinnitus.
The reasoning is that tinnitus has been described as a form of “sensory epilepsy” where brain cells in the auditory portion of the brain become hyperactive, resulting in sounds which only the sufferer can hear. Cannabidiol has been investigated as an epilepsy treatment. Some studies appear to show cannabidiol can reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures.
If tinnitus is a form of sensory epilepsy, might CBD reduce ringing in the ears as it appears to reduce epileptic seizures?
While there are some testimonials this may be true, I think jumping to conclusions may be a mistake.
Let's look at the research.
CBD Tinnitus Research
Currently, there are no human studies of cannabidiol (CBD) and tinnitus. The reason is researchers have not yet given it to people with Meniere's disease or other forms of ringing in the ears to see if it works or doesn't. So far, research has only involved rodents (rats and mice).
This fact alone should make people not want to try it due to the lack of research. That said, preliminary evidence suggests cannabidiol may be something Meniere's disease sufferers want to avoid for now.
Researchers in New Zealand took 50 rats and exposed them to either an “acoustic trauma” (loud noise) or nothing. The rats were given either a TCH/CBD drug or a placebo. They wanted to see if the THC/CBD drug combination reduced the chances the loud noise caused hearing loss and/or ringing in the ears.
To the surprise of researchers, the THC/cannabidiol combination seemed to increase the chances of getting tinnitus. Rats exposed to loud noises that received the THC/CBD drug seemed worse than rats that did not get the drug combination.
To quote the researchers “The results suggest that cannabinoids may promote the development of tinnitus, especially when there is pre-existing hearing damage.”
Video Review
If you prefer to watch, here's a quick video I created
What Does This Mean?
As I see it, this study has some problems.
For one thing, it was a rat study. I prefer human research. In addition, it involved a combination of THC and CBD. So we can't tell if it was the THC or cannabidiol – or both – which increased tinnitus after exposure to loud noise.
That said, I suffer from Meniere's disease myself. I know how annoying /maddening it can be. Given the possibility of cannabidiol -or anything- aggravating ringing in the ears, I would not take the chance until it's proven to be safe and effective in humans.
Is CBD Bad For Tinnitus?
At this point, nobody can say if CBD helps or hurts tinnitus. All we have is a study of rats that seems to show cannabidiol (combined with THC) may make Meniere's disease and other forms of ringing in the ears more likely. That said some people have told me it has made their tinnitus worse. I understand how some will say its worth the risk. For me, I will wait for human proof. I won't do anything that may make my tinnitus worse.
Hi everyone, you may have heard about acai berry supplements helping tinnitus. I’ve looked at the research and produced this video to show you what happened, how much acai berry was used, and what the results were. I hope it helps
https://youtu.be/wARgoanDg84
If you come across any tinnitus supplements you want me to review, leave a comment. Thanks and I hope you all doing well.
Joe, you can take Pharmacy classes online in all your spare time! Haha.
Don’t tempt me 🙂
Hi Joe,
Have you uncovered any research about CBD oil raising blood pressure or interfering with medication? I know it’s been reported to have a lowering effect, but studies are limited. Shortly after my son starting taking it, his blood pressure was not being controlled and his meds were increased. He stopped it for a few days but didn’t notice a difference so restarted. I suggested he stop.
Thankfully, he has an appointment with a cardiologist tomorrow and has had some lab work. We don’t think his PCP has a good handle on it.
Hi Judy, I checked and my origional review of CBD products doesn’t mention anything about blood pressure. But cannabinoids can interfere with a drug metabolism enzyme called P450. This could result in some meds breaking down too fast and others breaking down to slow.
Let me know what the cardiologist says.
Hi Joe, isn’t P450 one of the most predominant drug metabolism enzymes? Maybe the pharmacist could help answer her questions.
Roseann, yes it is and that’s a great idea. Judy, you can ask a pharmacist about this today. I’d bet ya they would have some insights. Good call Roseann! 🙂
Thanks Joe. I think I found what I was looking for. Looks like there is an interaction with calcium channel blockers and angiotensin blockers. I sent this to my son, and it was enough for him to stop taking it. Glad you raised the question about the P450 enzyme. https://cbdoilreview.org/cbd-cannabidiol/cbd-p-450-enzyme#Drugs-that-Interact-with-Cannabidiol
Judy thanks for sharing this. Yes they call the enzyme CYP450 and I call it P450. They are the same thing. Thanks for the link and Im glad you found what you were looking for 🙂
Pharmacists are under-utilized. They know a lot.
they sure do! looking back, I wish I had gone to pharmacy school
Hi again, Joe. I did listen and take notes on your CBD podcast. Very interesting.
But then I also listened to your podcast on BPC157 because I never heard of it. I was sorting out stuff from my closet from our move while listening to half of it, but it got so interesting, I had to sit down and take notes. I do hope an enterprising college grad Student DOES do his or her thesis on BCP157 on humans!
I think of it for me because of this sprained ankle I’ve had for the longest time that won’t fully heal because wearing a walking cast makes my body so unbalanced it affects my back and my unaffected ankle so much that my unaffected ankle now hurts more than the sprained one. Of course, that’s because of my rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
What interesting podcasts! I feel as if I’m in college again!
And your Grad student comment makes me have to boast about this: My niece is the first in our family to just earn her doctorate in Physics as of today! She specializes in nano-physics. She is also a Captain in the National Guards. I’m so proud of her. I was the first in our family to get a college degree.
Roseann, it sounds like your niece is following in your footsteps going to college. Wow, nano-physics! Your niece must be a genius! If she ever makes a time machine, let me know. There are a few places I’d like to back and see 🙂
Yes the BPC157 is pretty interesting stuff. People swear to me it works. I’m not sure if its the real deal or if its a placebo effect or what? I do keep my eyes open for new studies on it so if any do pop up I’ll be sure to do another podcast on it.
Yes, she must be a genius!
I wonder how rats let researchers know whether they: 1) Have tinnitus in the first place, 2) Whether it bothers them, and 3) Whether it goes away? Some scientists must be “rat whisperers”, like horse whisperers, I guess. OK, enough hilarious comedy for one day.
Roseann, I wondered how they knew about rats had tinnitus too! great minds 🙂
Joe! I tried the Reddit technique and it did really almost completely got rid of the tinnitus I’ve had for almost a year! Some very high-pitched tinnitus still remains, but I didn’t keep my index finger over my middle finger as he told the client to. I didn’t notice that at first. But it is a noticeable difference. I’ll let you know how long it lasts, but thank you for sharing that!!
Now, I have to say that I have NOT been diagnosed with any medical condition as you have or Judy has. I DID have that fluid in the inner ear very early this year that caused me to have perceptual problems and some loss of balance.
I would assume that his technique increases pressure in parts of the ear since you are in effect pumping air into the system. (I didn’t ask my doctor about doing this first. ) If my head blows up, I won’t blame Reddit.
My husband bought some CBD oil to see if it would help him sleep. He took it 2-3 times, and so did I. It maybe helped him fall asleep but it didn’t help him stay asleep. Neither of us liked it. Most of it is still in the refrigerator.
It didn’t help my chronic pain at all. Some people say it helps miraculously. I have stenosis in my spine and it doesn’t touch that at all. My sister in law said it helped her so much orally and topically. Not for me.
Roseann
My weekly Joe Cannon Education Study was again so beneficial.
What I had was fluid in the left mastoid air cells when I had the loss of balance and perceptual problems and when the tinnitus became extra loud.
Roseann, I had a bad case of vertigo a few weeks ago. Those episodes are NOT fun.
Thankfully, I’ve never had vertigo, but I’ve seen people in Urgent Care who’ve had it. And my mom and a friend get it. It’s beyond horrible! Mom always ends up in the ED.
By you saying “episodes”, that must not have been the first one. You’ll be in my prayers.
Roseann, yes Ive had the vertigo a couple of times. The last time was about a month ago and that was the first time in 5 years. It was not fun. I can always use your prayers 🙂
Roseann, thanks for the update and your nice words on your education study 🙂 I’m gald the Reddit technique worked for you. I need to try it again. My tinnitus was really acting up this weekend. Ive heard the CBD works better when mixed with all of the other cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. Some call it the “entourage effect” – basically that means CBD by itself may not work as well as when it’s combined with all the other compounds in the plant (it’s cannabinoid friends).
Based on that a broad spectrum CBD product might work better than just CBD by itself. There’s not much human research either way though. I know eventually research will be coming out on this stuff. Heres a podast I did on CBD: https://joe-cannon.com/cbd-podcast-review/ its also on Amazon, Pandora,etc. Eventually I will transcribe the podcast into a blog post.
Joe, after I did the Reddit maneuver late in the night, I noticed the tinnitus back in the morning. Most of the time I’m able to ignore it during the day if I keep my mind active. It’s in the evening and in the morning that I notice it the most, or like now, when I’m thinking about it. Mine is a constant high-pitched tone, without any fluctuations. I had a normal (for my age) hearing exam, but I’m still always asking “What did you say?” when people talk.
I should probably ask my doctor about doing it, as I think the maneuver is forcing pressure into the ear. I’m afraid my doctor will refer me to an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist to ask, and that will be months to get an appointment.
Roseann, I agree, my guess is also your doctor will refer you to an ENT. It can’t hurt. The good news is you say your hearting is pretty normal. I also mostly have that high pitched tone. I’ve heard others say they hear worse noises. I’ve been prescribed prednisone and potassium sparing water pills but neither worked unfortuantely.
New things come up all the time, so we can always hope. What interests me about this review are your reasons for why CBD may NOT be good to take if a person has tinnitus. We need to consider things like that.
Roseann, thats why I wanted to do this review. There are SO many claims being made about what CBD does. Pretty much all of them are positive. I wanted to give people something to think about.
So what is CBD good for exactly? So many unproven claims are out there that confusion is currently the only certainty.
BP, right now the only proven thing CBD is shown to help is epilepsy. There is a CBD epilepsy drug now on the market. This is not to say CBD doesn’t do other things. It probably does -and people have told me it helps their stress, fibromyalgia pain, and other things. These other claims currently lack clinical proof. There are still questions too such as
how much works?
whats a good brand to use?
what are the side effects and drug interactions?
Eventually, this will all change. Now that CBD is becoming more mainstream, I do believe human studies will soon be published.
Is cbd oil good for anything?
What really helps for tinnitus?
Rock on.
Brad
Hi Brad, Epilepsy is what the studies show CBD helps. This is what CBD has been studied the most on. Other than this, what we have now is mostly lab rat studies. People have told me CBD has helped them. Some of these people I know personally and I don’t believe they are lying. I do think there are many questions we need to know the answers too. And studies show there are a LOT of quality issues. Some products may not even contain CBD. Others may contain THC. For these reasons Id be cautious buying CBD from companies advertising on highway billboards, and on social media. Definitely investigate them first.
As for tinnitus I wish I had an answer. There is some research on a supplement called Lipoflavinoid. Many doctors are aware of it. I tried it myself but it didn’t work. For others, it may.
Here is my review of lipoflavinoid
I summarized all I have tried in my tinnitus supplements review. here is the link
Tinnitus Supplements Review
I was told about the “reddit tinnitus cure” but have not tried it yet. Here is the video
If you try it, let me know what happens.
Thanks for uncovering this information Joe. Your findings and cautions are important for tinnitus sufferers and hearing loss. I have an acoustic neuroma, and although I don’t have tinnitus, it is common for those with AN and Meniere’s like yourself. I wouldn’t take the chance either.
Judy, thanks for saying that. When I read the study it just made me feel the need to share it. The drumbeat to try CBD is everywhere these days -I’ve even seen billboards for CBD on I-95. It may be all they say but I do feel we need to take a step back and wait for some research first.
Totally agree on waiting for human testing. I’d love to see ANYTHING you feel like writing regarding CBD!
Stacy, thanks. I WILL be writing more about CBD now. Stay tuned 🙂