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Helen DeVos

Helen DeVos Children's Hospital
100 Michigan Street NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503
616.391.9000


What Are Long-Term Control Medicines?

Long-Term Control Medicines

(also called Controller or Maintenance Medicines)

Many kids with asthma need to take medicine every day to control their asthma. There's a good reason why should they take medicine even when they're feeling fine: Long-term control medicines work by keeping the airways in the lungs open and clear, which makes it easier to breathe.

These medicines work slow, not fast. It may take days or weeks for them to do their job. That's why a person with asthma needs to take them regularly. That gives these medicines a chance to get working, so they can keep airways from getting swollen and narrow.