Glucocorticoids are the basis for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and they were introduced in a landmark manner, mainly for rapid control of the disease, usually with the initial dose determined by the degree of damage to the affected organs. However, long-term use of glucocorticoids can bring side effects and even complications. Therefore, at the beginning of glucocorticosteroid use, many patients wonder: How long do I have to take so many hormones? When can I take less? Can I take only one or two pills or even none? In view of the diversity of clinical manifestations and pathogenesis of SLE, clinicians have great variability in the way of hormone administration, initial dose, duration, dose reduction plan and maintenance dose for patients, so it is impossible to elaborate on them all. However, here we briefly introduce the general principles of hormone use so that the majority of patients can have a basic understanding. Take prednisone as an example, for patients with severe SLE, there are two programs: 1, acute outbreak, use hormone shock therapy, i.e. methylprednisolone 500-1000mg IV once a day for 3 days, followed by oral high-dose prednisone (40-100mg/day), if the condition requires, shock therapy can be repeated after 1 week, which can quickly control the outbreak of SLE; 2, non-acute outbreak, direct oral high-dose prednisone (40-100mg/day). For patients with moderate SLE, initial oral prednisone 15-75mg/day; and for less severe cases, a trial of prednisone 0-30mg/day can be started. After 2 weeks of disease stabilization, start a slow dose reduction at a rate of 10% every 1-2 weeks. After a certain level of reduction, the rate of reduction will be adjusted slowly according to the disease. If the condition allows, the hormone dose for maintenance treatment should be less than 10mg of prednisone per day, and patients should pay attention to the following points: 1. If the side effects of hormones are too great to be used in large doses, the medication will be adjusted according to the situation. 2. The reduction of hormones is very likely to lead to aggravation of the disease and should be very cautious, so it is a slow process, and patients should not be too hasty to reduce or even stop the medication on their own. 3. The vast majority of patients require glucocorticoids in chronic treatment. According to the limited data available, for SLE patients with non-renal damage, the following conditions are required for discontinuation of GC: young patients, low disease activity, no persistent skin or joint damage, and no recent serological changes. And for the following question: How long does the disease stabilization period take before discontinuing hormones? Can hormones be discontinued immediately when disease activity is reduced and can be controlled by antimalarials and immunosuppressive drugs? If so, do both clinical and serologic tests require remission, or only clinical remission without serologic remission? Finally, how finely should the rate of hormone discontinuation be controlled? All these, there is no uniform standard. Some scholars believe that discontinuation of very low doses of glucocorticoids may lead to severe relapses after a period of complete remission of several years. Very low doses of glucocorticoids (less than 5 mg/day) have uncommon side effects. Therefore, it is important for patients to know: do not blindly reduce the dose of glucocorticosteroids or even discontinue them on your own for fear of their side effects, but consult with your doctor to choose the most suitable treatment plan for you.