<s>[INST] What are controllers? [/INST] Controllers are medicines that prevent asthma attacks from starting. There are two types of controller medicines anti-inflammatory medicines and airway openers.Anti-inflammatory medicines work by reducing the inflammation in the airways that occurs in asthma. The most effective and most commonly used anti-inflammatory medicines are inhaled glucocorticosteroids, such as budesonide, beclomethasone and fluticasone. These medicines help to prevent periods of greater severity of asthma if you take them regularly as instructed by your doctor (usually once or twice every day), and they may relieve you of your symptoms completely for most of the time. If your doctor gives you an inhaled glucocorticosteroid you must take it regularly, even if you are not wheezing.If the inflammation is not controlled, the airways become red, swollen, narrower and extra-sensitive. Some degree of inflammation is usually present in your lungs, even when you are unaware of symptoms, and worsening of the inflammation may lead you to feel an attack coming on.Airway openers, which are also known as bronchodilators, are medicines that help to prevent attacks progressing by quickly opening up the narrowed airways. They do this by relaxing the muscles surrounding the airways. Most airway openers only have a short-term effect and should not be used regularly as controllers. Long-acting airway openers, including formoterol and salmeterol, are effective as controllers when they are used regularly with an inhaled glucocorticosteroid. However, they should not be used regularly on their own as they do not treat the underlying inflammation and their effect on the symptoms of asthma could even hide the fact that it is getting worse. Source: Ginasthma. Link: https://ginasthma.org/about-us/faqs/. Field: Lung Disease. Disease: Asthma </s>