Table 3.

Themes and Exemplary Quotes Describing SLE Patients Concerns with Corticosteroids

Themes	Exemplary Quotes
Weight gain	“When I’m on prednisone, this is going to sound completely shallow but the thing that affects me most is the weight gain.” “Not just because of the weight gain but the rapidity of the weight gain, like how fast it came on…I probably didn’t even bother to look in the mirror for maybe 8 to 9 months just because I felt so horrible”
Organ damage	“My biggest concern is bone loss because I am osteopenic and I have lost a bit of bone and I’m getting older and also cataracts” “Definitely for me (the most concerning is) the bone loss. The bone loss is the reason for my knee replacement” “I think I was reading something about how prednisone can start to affect other parts of your body…I don’t want other stuff to start shutting down”
Mood swings/irritability	“If you would ask my family and ask myself (about prednisone), it’s the mood swings that are debilitating” “When I was on like 60mg of prednisone, 40 even 20,…I would get really angry at things and I would start throwing things across the room”.
Sleep disturbances	“Whenever I’m on prednisone and I’m up at 12 o’clock I’m like this is not right and that’s the main reason I don’t like prednisone” “My biggest problem is I can’t sleep. I sleep at the same time every night like 9, 10 whatever but now I go to sleep at like 2?”
Dental issues	“My teeth are breaking…that’s why I have prosthesis”