Long-Term Control Medicine
There's a reason for this medicine's name: If your doctor prescribed it for
your asthma, you need to take it every day, over a long period of time, to
control the condition. Long-term control medicines are sometimes also called
controller or maintenance medicines.
Long-term control medicine works slowly over time to keep the airways in the
lungs open and clear. It may take days or weeks for long-term control medicine to
start working and keep the airways from becoming swollen and narrow. That's why people
need to take it each day, even when they feel OK.