@yeb I don't think you are alone in your struggle to get off of prednisone when you get to a lower dose. You might want to read what others have shared in the following discussions to see if they might be helpful.

-- PMR Dosages and Managing Symptoms: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pmr-dosages/
-- Alternative to Prednisone for Treating PMR?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/alternative-to-prednisone/

@dadcue, @nyxygirl and others may have some suggestions or thoughts for you. I kept a daily log of my pain and dosage and if my pain level was too much and I needed to to up my dosage, I would not go all the way back to a previous dose but I would split the difference to half of my previous taper down so that I still was taking less than the previous dose when I tapered down. Have you talked to your rheumatologist or doctor to see if they have some suggestions for alternatives?