I don't know the answer. I do wish that a biologic was tried much sooner in my case. I was treated with prednisone for 12 years before a biologic was tried. I can only say my treatment with Prednisone in the short term didn't cause too many problems. My long term use and cumulative dose of prednisone over time was what did most of the damage.

By comparison, I wasn't able to taper down to 10 mg of Prednisone during my first 10 years of treatment. I was in the 20-40 mg range during most of that time. A biologic was tried when I couldn't tolerate anything less than 10 mg after 12 years.

I don't think you need to worry too much about 10 mg or less for the first year or two. It just depends on how things progress. Don't be frightened of prednisone and PMR. Just be aware of potential problems that can arise the longer you need prednisone. A biologic comes with potential problems too.