Welcome @joaniem5, I'm sorry to hear that you have joined the PMR club but you have come to the right place to learn more about the condition from the experiences of others. Tapering too much, too fast is a hallmark of PMR flares with the pain returning. I don't believe the inflammation markers by themselves dictate you have PMR. There are a lot of members who have normal CRP and ESR levels but still have PMR pain. Here's is some research for more information on the topic.

"Normal ESR and CRP should not stop to include PMR in differential diagnosis."
— Polymyalgia rheumatica with normal values of both erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein concentration at the time of diagnosis: https://academic.oup.com/rheumatology/article/58/5/921/5285558

--- Treat-to-target recommendations in giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10803996/

My rheumatologist had me keep a daily log with my level of pain (1 to 10) and my dosage of prednisone for that day. He also gave a suggested tapering schedule but emphasized that I need to listen to my body and not taper if the pain was too much. For me that was anything above a 2 when I woke up the next morning and it was time to try to taper down to the next lower level.

Do you keep a daily log of your prednisone dose and level of pain when you wake up?