Are pain medications used in pleurisy treatment?

Mayo Clinic recommends that pleurisy patients take pain medications, such as ibuprofen, to alleviate pain and inflammation. Getting plenty of rest is also advised. Medical treatment for pleurisy involves treating the underlying cause.

WebMD explains that pleurisy is a condition that makes breathing quite painful. It occurs when the membrane surrounding the lungs, called the pleura, becomes inflamed. Most commonly, pleurisy is viral in nature, but it can also be caused by trauma to the chest, drug reactions, lung infections, cancer, diseases of the liver, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and pulmonary embolism. Mayo Clinic notes that viral pleurisy normally resolves without treatment.