Can anxiety cause high blood pressure and irregular heart beats?

and I don't mean during a panic attack. I mean all the time.

Here's my problem. I'm 22 yrs old, male. My symptoms are as follows :
- Palpitations (strong ones)
- Chest pain
- Trouble breathing
- muscle and joint pain (all the time)
- heavy breathing
- feeling light headed
- nausea
- my hand and feet often get extremely cold for no reason. so cold that it sometimes starts to hurt. and sometimes this even happens in summer.
- slight testicular pain

I've been having these symptoms for almost 4 years now. And they having been getting worse/more serious ever since. So 6 months ago (march 2008), I decided that I was going to see a doctor. I went to the best hospital in the city. The doctor ordered a bunch of tests and then referred me to a cardiologist. Most of my tests were normal except the following :
1. The ECG showed irregular heartbeats (ectopic heartbeats)
2. My cholestrol was higher than what is should be.
3. My blood pressure was quite high.

So this cadiologist tells me that I probably have some psychiatric conditions that are causing my symptoms because, according to him, I am "too young" to be having real heart problems. He reffered me to a psychiatrist and told me that if my problems still persist after a psychiatric treatment, he might put me on hypertension medication.
So I go to this psychiatrist. He diagnoses me with "anxiety". [I'm not from the US so the doctors might not use the exact same terms as they do in America].
He prescribed 3 pills for 2 weeks. I came home and googled them all. 2 of them were common drugs used to treat depression, anxiety and OCD. the third one was an anti-convulsant. I took all the pills for 2 weeks. The only significant change I noticed was that I was able to sleep better. But thats all. I did not go back to see the psychiatrist or the cardiologist.

I'm very confused right now. I don't know if I should go see another cardiologist for a second opinion.
Is there anyone here who has ever had similar symptoms as me because of anxiety disorder?

I have had some of those symptoms with my anxiety but if it were me I would get a second opinion with both types of doctors. I hope that you find the answers soon, I have also been told I am to young to have certain problems so I understand how upsetting that can be.

Get a second opinion. However, don't expect anyone to do much about the ectopic heartbeats/palpitations. As long as there is no a-fib or v-fib, palpitations are usually harmless, though distruptive and can cause you to be quite anxious. Your high BP, unless extremely high, will probably be recommended to be controlled with diet and exercise. Unfortunately your age will make it harder to convinc the doctors of a problem with your heart. If your ekg showed ectopic beats and you are having chest pain, ask for a stress test--normally a holter or AER would be next in line, but since the ekg showed something, I would ask your doctor if he would order a stress test. The diagnosis of abnormal ekg should be valid enough. Whenever you aren't comfortable with something, remember that you are in charge of your health care--the doctors get paid by you and should listen to you. That's not to say don't listen to them, just remember you have options.

Very thorough........thanks.....

Hey, glad I saw this thread, donnnnnnnnnnnnnn't let anyone tell you that you are too young for heart problems buddy! It could be anxiety, BUT I had SVT that was causing atrial fibrillation (a-fib), and I had a catheter ablation surgery at age 21, yes, twenty-one. Im 22 now, going to be 23 in January. I have anxiety and sometimes I confuse it with my heart issues, but sometimes anxiety can mimic other health problems. Still important to get a second opinion from a cardiologyst.

Yeah, I had ongoing palpitations one summer. Wore a Holter Monitor.
Diagnosis: Parents visiting my home for the summer.

Yes all those are anxiety symtoms. I get most of them including my arms and especially my forearms and hands tingle.

Palpitations can be other things too, though, and it is always a good idea to consult your doctor about them. A disorder of the circulation could also cause the cold hands and feet. A thyroid disorder could too.
Why not give yourself the gift of a physical check up to give yourself some peace of mind?

Hi!

I have a lot of the same symptoms as you do and the doctor told me that I have a panic disorder (which is a type of anxiety disorder) and I just recently started to suffer from social phobia because of it.

You need to go back to the doctor and get put on a regular medication that you can take daily.

I am still struggling to get better myself so I am in no condition to be giving you advice, but I know what it is like to feel alone and not know whats going on.

I hope this helps (even if its just a little).

Thanks everyone for the time you took to respond.