Hello, I m sorry to hear you have another episode of shingles. Given what you ve told me, your doctor s treatment is different from what is recommended for shingles. If you presented within 72 hours of the start of the rash, Zovirax or another antiviral is typically prescribed. Neurontin is a reasonable treatment if you have been having pain for several months after having shingles, but would not normally be prescribed right away, when you first start having symptoms. It may be that your doctor has a good reason for treating you how he did, based on other information or something he saw on his examination, but this would have been my approach. Though antiviral treatment can shorten the time you have shingles, normally you will still recover well without them, and hopefully have no pain that persists afterward. If you do have pain that persists (called post-herpetic neuralgia), then Neurontin can help with that pain. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Take care Regards, Dr Aaron Branch, General & Family Physician