I was diagnosed with PMR in May, 2023 and began with 25 mg of prednisone. My taper was very slow, started at 2.5 per month for a few months then 1 mg until June 2024. All during the taper I had no adverse reactions or joint pain. When I finally stopped on June 1, initially there was no discomfort. However, after about 4 weeks I began to feel pretty stiff in the morning. Walking and my exercise routine (yoga and gym workout) helped as did some Advil. I just had an appointment with my rheumatologist and all my blood markers were in the normal range. While the dr does not think my morning discomfort is related to PMR, I feel like it is my body adjusting to being off prednisone. My discomfort is manageable and my hope is that it will gradually decrease. So a long answer to your question, I did not have to use a biologic in order to wean off prednisone. I can only hope that I don’t experience a flare in the future. Good luck with your PMR treatment. Carpe Diem. Liz Ward