Canadian study finds 96% of tinnitus patients surveyed would consider cannabis as a treatment option

A new study has found that cannabis is commonly used among patients with tinnitus, with most users claiming it helps alleviate their symptoms.

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Tinnitus, the perception of sound without an acoustic stimulus, affects various aspects of life, including sleep and mood, and can be debilitating.

Published in the Journal of Otolaryngology, the study was conducted by a neuro-otology clinic in Canada and surveyed 45 patients. Researchers found that 80 per cent of respondents were actively using cannabis and reported that it helped with tinnitus-related symptoms like dizziness, anxiety, bodily pain and sleep disturbances.

Overall, 96 per cent of respondents said that they would consider cannabis as a treatment option.

The survey found most patients prefer to use edibles, capsules or topicals and about half of the respondents were concerned about potential physical health implications and psychosocial side effects. The cost of cannabis was also a concern among 29 per cent of patients.

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While current treatments consist of hearing amplification, anti-anxiolytics and cognitive behavioural therapy, patients often experience persistent symptoms and impaired quality of life. The study suggests that understanding how cannabis is perceived by tinnitus patients can help health care providers provide appropriate patient education.

Researchers also found that more than half of the patients learned about cannabis from a friend or family member and less than a quarter had learned about cannabis from a physician or nurse.

A 2020 survey conducted on 1,000 primary care patients by researchers at the University of Vermont found that only 18 per cent of people felt their physician was a good source of information on cannabis, despite 45 per cent reporting using cannabinoids in the past year.