(brand name indocin) has been studied with respect to relief of pleurisy. codeine-based cough syrups to control the cough there may be a role for the use of corticosteroids (for tuberculous pleurisy), tacrolimus (prograf) and methotrexate (trexall, rheumatrex) in the treatment of pleurisy. further studies are needed. lifestyle changes the following may be helpful in the management of pleurisy: lying on the painful side may be more comfortable breathing deeply and coughing to clear mucus as the pain eases. otherwise, pneumonia may develop. getting rest treating the cause ideally, the treatment of pleurisy is aimed at eliminating the underlying cause of the disease. if the pleural fluid is infected, treatment involves antibiotics and draining the fluid. if the infection is tuberculosis or from a fungus, treatment involves long-term use of antibiotics or antifungal medicines. if the fluid is caused by tumors of the pleura, it may build up again quickly after it is drained. sometimes anti-tumor medicines prevent further fluid buildup. if they don't, the doctor may seal the pleural space. this is called pleurodesis. pleurodesis involves the drainage of all the fluid out of the chest through a chest tube. a substance is inserted through the chest tube into the pleural space. this substance irritates the surface of the pleura. this causes the two layers of the pleurae to squeeze shut so there is no room for more fluid to build up. chemotherapy or radiation treatment also may be used to reduce the size of the tumors. if congestive heart failure is causing the fluid buildup, treatment usually includes diuretics and other medicines. the treatment for pleurisy depends on its origin and is prescribed by a physician on a base of an individual assessment. paracetamol (acetaminophen) and amoxicillin, or other antibiotics in case of bacterial infections, are common remedies dispensed by doctors to relieve the initial symptoms and pain in the chest, while viral infections are self-limited. non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaids), preferably indometacin, are usually employed as pain control agents. alternative treatments a number of alternative or complementary medicines are being investigated for their anti-inflammatory properties, and their use in pleurisy. at this time, clinical trials of these compounds have not been performed. extracts from the brazilian folk remedy wilbrandia ebracteata ("taiuia") have been shown to reduce inflammation in the pleural cavity of mice. the extract is thought to inhibit the same enzyme, cyclooxygenase-2 (cox-2), as the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. prognosis pleurisy, and other disorders of the pleurae, can be serious, depending on what caused them. generally, pleurisy treatment has an excellent prognosis, but if left untreated it can cause severe complications. for example, a resulting pulmonary heart disease, cor pulmonale, which manifests itself in an inflammation of the arms and legs, can lead to heart failure. if the conditions that caused the pleurisy or other pleural disorders were adequately diagnosed and treated early, one can expect a full recovery. help of a pulmonologist (respiratory physician in the u.k. and australia) may be enlisted to deal with the underlying cause, and chart post-illness rehabilitation.