For about a week now, I've been experiencing a kind of off-and-on pressure build up in the right side of my head.

It started with pressure and then sharp, sudden stabs of pain around the back of my head (right side). Each stab lasted maybe a second or two, but left a kind of pain "echo" when it disappeared. This happened maybe five or six times over the course of an hour. This then launched me into fear about aneurysm and medical question-all, and I had a panic attack. After the panic attack subsided, I felt better and the pressure seemed to have gone.

I experienced the same thing to a lesser degree the next day, and the day after, the pressure alone. The third day's pressure also triggered a panic attack.

I finally went in to see my GP (who I don't totally trust), and he said it was probably just sinus related, told me to keep my head lowered for 15 minutes twice a day in a warm bath (to soak up the steam or whateverthefuck, I have no idea). He also said it could be a precursor to shingles.

When I asked if it could be something neurological, he dismissed the idea and gave me some 600mg ibuprofen tablets. Eek.

Here's what I know:
* The pressure seems to be made worse by stress.
* The pressure seems to go away if I lay down for awhile.
* The pressure seems to come on randomly-- sometimes right when I wake up, sometimes not until much later in the day. It rarely lasts more than an hour or so.
* I don't feel like I have any sinus congestion. My mucus is white and clean-looking.
* The stabbing pains are anywhere from mild to actually making me wince and reflexively touch my head.
* My pupil dilates normally, and I can move my eye without any problems.

What I want to know is this:

Has anyone else with GAD or panic attacks experienced this kind of one-sided head pressure?

Or has anyone experienced this kind of weird doing it headache pressure/pain at all?

It's driving me mad and (being prone to anxiety and panic attacks) making my life miserable. I'm half convinced I have an aneurysm or a blood clot in my brain, but I know that's terribly unlikely at 23.

For the record, I'm 23, female, lean/healthy weight, ex-smoker (smoked maybe 2 years total in my life), currently not having any caffeine/liquor/nicotine (UGH), normal liver and kidney function, no thyroid problems, taking birth control (Ortho Tri-Cyclen) and 1mg Lorazepam/Ativan as needed (usually a few times a week).

Help?