I stopped using it and likely won't touch it again. I had some last Wednesday. Within an hour, my left ear started ringing out of nowhere; the ringing grew louder, then seemed to level out - as though something was trying to kill a bunch of hair cells in the inner ear. In the hour between the cannabis and when those symptoms started, I felt something shift in my ears, and a strange sensation started to be felt in both ears; the left felt it first, then the right...but then the left side started ringing for no reason? No, there was a reason; it was because the cannabis was constricting the fine microcirculation of my inner ears, and the left side took the brunt this time (usually it's the right side that gets affected by changes in blood pressure, vasoconstriction, etc).
I do have Menieres, and I guess now I know what's causing it; the cannabis undoubtedly made it worse; it could have even been catastrophic. It only had to happen once because I never knew what was causing the SBUTTs, but this one happened out of nowhere about 5 minutes before a 10-pin bowling game, AND IT DIDN'T GO AWAY like it almost always does. It happened very suddenly (like it always does, with no warning; perhaps the strange sensation I felt in my ear might have been one clue, but I get those sensations all the time).
It was a big scare, and I'm starting to really, really get tired of it. I need to stop existing and start living. Each time it happens and the ringing doesn't stop, a shit ton of prednisone is taken over the course of 3 days to stave off any sudden (and potentially permanent) hearing loss. I had to hop on the prednisone AGAIN. For the umpteenth time, and frankly I'm sick of it. I KNOW what caused it this time. It was almost certainly the cannabis. It could not have been anything else.
Obviously this can't be going on in my life, as I'm starting to really tire of this problem that I have been dealing with now for almost 6 years. So now, the cannabis is gone for good, like the carbamazepine, like the mirtazapine, like a lot of other shit that could have caused this. Even though I cannot prove with absolute certainty, I don't need any real proof that it was the cannabis. Cause and consequence. That's all I needed to prove. It happened too, too close to when I vaped the weed. It was too proximal. And the cannabis is not coming back into my life. I'm done with it, and ANY other ototoxic drug or substance or food (yes, that includes alcohol, excessive added sugar, confectionery, chocolate, whatever has lots of it, you name it; all gone). I mean, the weed would give me a peaceful, easy feeling, but I cannot risk my hearing for that when other drugs (eg, benzos or tranquillisers, even antihistamines like cetirizine can offer this at times) or even actions (like exercise) can provide that exact same feeling.
I had to stop consuming stuff that my body didn't appreciate. Whether that be drugs, food, or whatever. None of it matters as much as my health. My mental health would be completely and utterly ruined, and my life would be over if this had become permanent. I can't even say for sure whether or not I might even be here today had the prednisone not worked (as it usually, but not always, does).
I'm not chasing my own demise. I ain't playing that game. The game is already won. I won. The cannabis is gone. It really is gone. And, so is a lot of other shit that I don't need (even though I enjoy it, for me the risk just doesn't measure up because I know what I will do if my hearing gets seriously worse than it already is).