Lip twitching is caused by involuntary, sudden muscle contractions in or around the lips. These contractions can be caused by irritants that affect the nerves in the lips or may be stress induced. Injuries to the lip’s nerves can also result in twitching of the lips. At times, the nerves in the face do not work the way they are supposed to and will cause the muscles in the lips to contract.

When a lip twitches, the muscles in or around the lip contract, making the lip feel like it is quivering. If the twitching is fast, the lip may not appear to be twitching to observers, but it may still be felt. Some conditions make the contractions more noticeable to others and may be accompanied by other symptoms.

Withdrawal from substances such as alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes can cause a person to experience lip twitching. Substances that contain stimulating products can produce muscle contractions of the lips if they are taken in excess. Some of these substances might include particular sodas, coffee, chocolate, and caffeine pills.

Emotions can often trigger lip muscle contractions. People sometimes experience this when they have strong feelings of anger, fear, joy, or amusement. It can also occur with extreme fatigue. Stress and anxiety can be contributing factors to a twitching lip as well.

Essential tremors may also cause lip twitching, as well as hysterical tremors. In general, these types of tremors affect other areas of the body as well. An essential tumor is most often caused by stress. Hysterical tremors occur when a person uses too many drugs or consumes too much alcohol.

Sometimes a medical condition can contribute to the development of lip twitching. Bell’s palsy is one condition that affects the nerves in the face and will often lead to lip twitching. With this condition, other symptoms may also be present like facial swelling, difficulty speaking, and a droopy face. Another problem that may produce muscle contractions is a lack of potassium in a person’s diet.

A twitching lip may only be an annoying side effect that some people have to deal with, but at times it may be a symptom of a much larger issue. When these contractions occur regularly and are a constant problem, it may be an indication of a medical issue that must be treated by a physician. A persistent twitch may be caused by hypoparathyroidism, Tourette’s syndrome, DiGeorge syndrome, or even Parkinson’s disease. In these cases, lip twitching may be only one of a number of symptoms.