I'm been on the same combination for 5 months and am not able to go lower on the pred. The impression I get from my rheumatologist is that as long as my labs look good he is comfortable keeping me on these doses indefinitely. At my last appointment he brought up Kevzara as being the next option if labs or side effects aren't good. I don't have a good solution for you or myself. I have decided that I just need to be patient and take care of my health the best I can.