Thank you for asking us. The symptoms you describe sound typical for pleuritis (pleurisy), which can certainly be treated with the OTC medication. The other things a doctor would check for if you went in for a doctor visit would include pericarditis (inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart like the pleura surround the lungs) and pneumonia. Other things besides pain that would suggest pericarditis would include shortness of breath and swelling in the feet. Other things besides pain that would suggest pneumonia would be cough and fever. If you are not having swelling in the feet, cough, fever, or shortness of breath, taking the gel caps for a few days is very reasonable and may be all that you need. Please do visit your doctor if your symptoms get worse, if the OTC medicine is not helping, or if you start developing other symptoms that make you feel concerned. Typically, pleurisy (pleuritis) will gradually get better over a few weeks; it is usually caused by viruses and usually does not need any antibiotics. The medicine such as naproxen helps decrease the inflammation (swelling) and pain. I hope that this has answered your question. Please feel free to let us know if you have any further questions - and I hope that you will be feeling better soon!