Trembling lips: cause of quivering lower lip or upper lip

Trembling lips or a quivering lip, whether it is the upper lip or lower lip, can be annoying and embarrassing. A quivering lip is not necessarily a sign of an underlying medical problem. It can be due to muscle spasms from something as simple as drinking too much coffee, but lip twitching can also be an early sign of a neurological disease such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS. A quivering lip can be a rather disturbing symptom, although in most cases the cause behind it is not serious. Most cases of twitching lips are due to stress, fatigue, emotions, excessive caffeine intake (drinking large amounts of coffee, caffeinated soft drinks or energy drinks) or a potassium deficiency. Lip twitching is in most cases self-limiting and disappears within minutes or perhaps a few days without further problems. If complaints persist, a visit to the doctor is recommended.

• Cause of twitching lower lip or upper lip
• Symptoms of lip tremors
• Trembling lip due to excessive caffeine
• Trembling lower lip or upper lip due to medication
• Potassium deficiency
• Alcoholic neuropathy
• Facial paralysis
• Trembling lips due to stress, anxiety and fatigue
• Tension
• Adrenaline
• Magnesium
• Hemifacial spasm
• Trembling chin and lower lip due to hereditary geniospasm
• Tourette’s syndrome
• Trembling lower lip or upper lip due to Parkinson’s
• IF
• Trembling around the mouth due to hypoparathyroidism
• Nervous twitch in the lip
• DiGeorge syndrome
• Trembling lips as a withdrawal symptom
• Quit smoking
• Quit alcohol
• Quit drugs
• Trauma to the lip
• Examination and diagnosis
• Treatment of a trembling lip
• Prognosis

 

Trembling lips / Source: Saintswithin , Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Cause of twitching lower lip or upper lip

There are several possible causes of a quivering lip:

• Irritation of the facial nerve due to trauma or injury;
• Stimulation of the nerve endings in your lips;
• Withdrawal symptoms: alcohol, drugs or tobacco;
• A side effect or side effect of medication;
• Strong emotions such as anger, excitement or fear;
• Anxiety or nervousness;
• Severe stress or fatigue;
• A deficiency of potassium;
• Lack of electrolytes;
• A viral infection such as a cold sore;
• Excessive caffeine intake;
• facial paralysis;
• Hemifacial spasm;
• Tourette’s syndrome;
• Parkinson’s disease;
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a disease of the nerve cells that control muscles;

 

Symptoms of lip tremors

The trembling of the lower lip or upper lip can be seen as a small tremor or vibration of your lip. However, it can also spread to other parts of your face. Some common signs and symptoms are:

• spontaneous or unexpected contraction of your lower lip and/or upper lip
• spasms that may occur repeatedly for several seconds to several minutes
• you may experience numbness or numbness in the lip
• you may also experience repeated involuntary spasms elsewhere on the face

 

Trembling lip due to energy drinks / Source: Pnut10 , Wikimedia Commons ( CC BY-SA-3.0 )

Trembling lip due to excessive caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant and can cause lip twitching if used in excess. The technical term for this condition is ‘ caffeine intoxication ‘. Caffeine is increasingly consumed in excessive amounts, especially among young people, as is the case with energy drinks. Symptoms of caffeine intoxication include nausea, vomiting , headache , palpitations , agitation, anxiety , and tremors.

What to do?
The treatment is simple: reduce or eliminate your caffeine intake and the symptoms will disappear like snow in the sun.

Trembling lower lip or upper lip due to medication

A minor muscle twitch or fasciculation is a known side effect of many prescription and over-the-counter medications such as estrogens, diuretics and steroids.

What to do?
Talk to your doctor about switching medications, which is a simple treatment for this symptom.

Potassium deficiency

You can suffer from a trembling lip if you have low potassium levels in your body. This mineral is an electrolyte and plays a role in many bodily functions including nerve signal transmission and muscle contractions.

Potassium deficiency can negatively affect the muscles and cause spasms and cramps.

Treatment
Treatment for a mild potassium deficiency consists of adding potassium-rich foods to your diet and avoiding medications that can affect your potassium levels. In the case of a severe deficiency, the potassium deficiency is remedied by oral treatment and sometimes intravenous administration is indicated.

Alcoholic neuropathy

Drugs and alcohol can cause nerve damage and affect brain function. If you have used large amounts of alcohol or drugs for a long time and you experience muscle spasms in the face, such as lip twitching and twitching of the lower lip and/or upper lip, you may have alcoholic neuropathy. This causes damage to the peripheral nerves.

Treatment
Treatment consists of limiting alcohol consumption, taking vitamin supplements and taking prescribed anticonvulsants.

Facial paralysis / Source: Patrick J. Lynch , Wikimedia Commons ( CC BY-2.5 )

Facial paralysis

People with Bell’s palsy or facial palsy have paralysis of the facial muscles. This involves temporary paralysis of the facial nerve. The result is that the muscles on one side of the face do not work properly. Each case is different, but sometimes muscle twitching is also possible.

Treatment
Once the underlying condition has been adequately treated, the paralysis also disappears.

Trembling lips due to stress, anxiety and fatigue

Stress, anxiety and fatigue can lead to quivering lips.

Tension

Stress tightens muscles and weakens the blood supply to the muscles, causing them to contract and tremors.

Adrenaline

Adrenaline rushes give the muscles extra energy, and these can also cause your muscles to become restless, as if they need to move. In some people this can manifest itself in an urge to move or tremors.

Magnesium

It is also possible that the twitching is caused by secondary effects. For example, magnesium is often depleted during times of stress and low magnesium levels are known to lead to muscle twitching, including twitching lips.

Hemifacial spasm

Hemifacial spasms are also called facial tic. These are muscle spasms that occur on one side of the face. These tics are most common in women over 40 years of age and people of Asian descent. They are not life-threatening, but can be uncomfortable and disruptive. Hemifacial spasms occur due to damage to the seventh cranial nerve, which allows the muscles of the face to move. Another condition may have caused this nerve damage, or it may be the result of a blood vessel pressing on the nerve.

Treatment
Hemifacial spasms can be diagnosed using imaging tests such as MRI scan, CT scan and angiography, an X-ray examination that makes the blood vessels visible. Botox injections are the most common form of treatment, although they must be repeated every six months to remain effective. The drug partially paralyzes the muscle to stop shaking. An operation called microvascular decompression is also an effective long-term treatment that removes the blood vessel causing the tics.

Trembling chin and lower lip due to hereditary geniospasm

Hereditary geniospasm is a condition in which children and adults suffer from a twitching muscle in the chin and occasionally the lower lip also suffers from twitching. Hereditary geniospasm is also known as hereditary chin tremors. The shaking of the chin muscle looks like shaking of the chin. It is caused by an error in the hereditary material of chromosome 9.

Treatment
Many people with this condition do not want treatment. If you are bothered by the trembling of the chin and lower lip, the doctor can prescribe certain medications or perform a botox injection.

Georges Gilles de la Tourette (1857-1904), namesake of the syndrome / Source: Unknown / E. Pirou , Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Tourette’s syndrome

Tourette’s syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by tics. The syndrome is named after the French neurologist Georges Gilles de la Tourette (1857-1904). It is a condition that causes you to involuntarily make repetitive sounds or movements. Tourette’s can involve motor and vocal tics. It is socially annoying. Men are four times more likely than women to develop Tourette’s, and symptoms usually appear between the ages of 2-15. The exact cause of Tourette’s is unknown as of 2024.

Treatment
Treatment consists of a combination of therapy and medication. For isolated tics that are socially bothersome or cause a lot of pain, Botox treatment can work.

Trembling lower lip or upper lip due to Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that causes tremors , stiffness, slowness of movement and difficulty walking. The disease is degenerative, meaning it gets worse over time. Early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease usually include mild tremors of the lower lip, chin, hands, or legs.

Treatment
In 2024, doctors do not know what causes Parkinson’s. Some of the most common treatments include medication to replenish dopamine in the brain, or surgery.

IF

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (commonly known as ALS) is a brain disease that affects the nerves and spinal cord. Some early symptoms include muscle twitching, slurred speech, and muscle weakness . ALS is degenerative and fatal.

Treatment
There is no cure for ALS in 2024. Treatment consists of relieving the pattern of complaints.

Trembling around the mouth due to hypoparathyroidism

Hypoparathyroidism is a rare condition of the parathyroid gland. In hypoparathyroidism, the parathyroid glands work too slowly, causing them to produce too little hormone. This causes low calcium and phosphorus levels in the body. A common symptom of hypoparathyroidism is tremors around the mouth, throat and hands. If your lip twitching is accompanied by hair loss, sore feet or legs , and tingling fingertips , you could have this thyroid condition.

Treatment
Treatment options include a calcium -rich diet or calcium supplements, vitamin D supplements, and parathyroid hormone injections.

Nervous twitch in the lip

Stress can cause nervous twitches, for example in the form of a quivering lip. Persistent tension can, among other things, cause involuntary and repetitive movements of your lower lip or upper lip, a kind of vibration. The nerve endings in your upper and lower lip are stimulated by the autonomic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system.

What to do?
When the stress decreases, the nervous twitch will subside. Relaxation exercises or mindfulness can help. Also continue to take good care of yourself with good nutrition, exercise/exercise and enough relaxation.

DiGeorge syndrome

DiGeorge syndrome is a hereditary condition due to a small piece of chromosome 22 being missing. In this syndrome, children exhibit a combination of abnormalities, including heart defects and immune disorders. A quivering lip and lip twitching can also occur.

Treatment
Cure is not possible in 2024. The treatment of DiGeorge syndrome consists of reducing the symptoms.

Quit smoking / Source: Dmytro Zinkevych/Shutterstock.com

Trembling lips as a withdrawal symptom

Quit smoking

Muscle twitching, including lip twitching, after quitting smoking is quite common and most people may not even notice it. Muscle spasms can occur when the arteries narrow, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood to all parts of the body. This is common in smokers because nicotine slows blood flow by constricting the blood vessels in the body. This also means that the blood vessels do not receive enough oxygen. A muscle twitch is different from a muscle spasm in that it is the uncontrolled movement of a small segment of a larger muscle and can be seen under the skin. Many people who have just quit smoking will experience muscle twitching or spasms as their body tries to rid itself of all the toxins that smoking brings. As the heart becomes stronger and blood can flow more efficiently to all parts of the body, the spasms and twitching should subside. If the muscle twitching persists for more than a month, you should consult your doctor.

Along with muscle twitches and spasms, there are some other withdrawal symptoms you might experience when you quit smoking. These can vary in intensity and normally do not last longer than a few weeks. Some of these symptoms include:

• headache

Insomnia / Source: PrinceOfLove/Shutterstock.com

• sore throator sore throat
• cough
• nausea
• to sweat
• fear
• insomnia(and sleep deprivation )
• fatigue

These are all symptoms associated with quitting smoking and they vary in intensity. They are usually mild, but some complaints can become quite prominent. Fortunately, muscle tremors (such as a trembling lip) are one of the less serious withdrawal symptoms and tend to go away quickly.

Quit alcohol

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can occur after just one night of drinking. Symptoms of withdrawal will vary depending on your body chemistry, age, weight, gender, and duration and frequency of alcohol abuse. Withdrawal symptoms can be eased by consuming more alcohol, which can quickly trap you in a vicious cycle. The most common mild to moderate symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:

• headache, pulsating pain at the temples
• sweating, especially palms or face
• nausea
• loss of appetite
• insomnia
• pallor
• fast heart rate
• enlarged, dilated pupils
• moist hands
• abnormal muscle movements or twitching (such as lip twitching)
• tremors
• involuntary eyelid movements ( twitching eyelids)

Severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are usually experienced by people who have been drinking for a long time and have built up a tolerance to alcohol, meaning your body needs more and more alcohol to achieve the same effect.

Serious signs of alcohol withdrawal include:

• delirium tremens
• agitation
• fever
• convulsions

 

Quit drugs

Withdrawal symptoms from drugs (cocaine, heroin, speed, cannabis , etc.) can be both physical and mental, changing the way you feel, act and think. Some drugs, such as heroin, alcohol and cocaine, cause strong physical dependence. With other chemicals, such as hallucinogens, the dependence is more mental in nature. Either way, quitting drugs can take a heavy toll on your mind and body.

With some substances, such as alcohol or benzodiazepines , rigorous withdrawal can be life-threatening if not done under medical supervision. Stopping drug or medication use in a safe, controlled environment can be easier and more effective than struggling with withdrawal symptoms alone:

• fear
• irritability
• dysphoria (a sad or irritable mood, sometimes accompanied by anxiety or restlessness)
• craving (extreme cravings for drugs)
• insomnia

Stomachache / Source: Andrey Popov/Shutterstock.com

• nausea and vomiting
• diarrhea
• stomach ache
• muscle cramps
• muscle twitching (e.g. lip twitching)
• epileptic attacks
• palpitations
• to sweat
• chills

 

Trauma to the lip

A trembling upper lip or trembling lower lip can be caused by a trauma you have suffered in the past. An injury to the brain stem may have caused damage to the facial nerve, causing facial muscles to twitch. Also, a quivering lip can be the result of an injury to the muscles of the face that has led to nerve damage , which in turn leads to diffuse signals in the brain and shocks or vibrations near the nerve.

General practitioner with patient / Source: Istock.com/monkeybusinessimages

Examination and diagnosis

An interview with the doctor and a physical examination form the basis for making a diagnosis. The doctor may also ask you some questions about your lifestyle, such as how often you drink coffee, energy drinks or alcohol. If no other symptoms are visible, the doctor may need to perform some tests for a diagnosis. These can vary from blood tests or urine tests to an MRI or CT scan.

Treatment of a trembling lip

If you suffer from a trembling lower lip or upper lip, it is important that the underlying cause is treated or removed. It is therefore essential to find out what the cause is. Only then can the complaint be handled. There are also some preventive measures that can help to reduce or stop a trembling lip:

• Take good care of the mental and physical state of your body.
• Avoid or reduce intake of caffeinated or alcoholic beverages.
• When the shaking starts, apply a warm cloth to your lips or apply pressure to your lip with your finger.
• Reduce stress and fatigueby engaging in relaxation exercises and sporting activities.
• Ensure adequate potassium intake by eating a well-balanced diet including foods such as watermelon and bananasthat are rich in potassium, along with other fruits and vegetables.

 

Prognosis

A quivering lip can indicate something as simple as too much caffeine intake, but it can also be a sign of an underlying condition. If drinking less coffee or eating more potassium-rich foods does not provide sufficient relief, it is time to make an appointment with your doctor. If a more serious condition is causing a quivering lip, early detection and treatment is critical to prevent worsening or slowing the disease process.