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First of all, I weigh only 102 lbs. so that may be part of the reason my dose seems on the lower side. Secondly, the pain I had after initial dx was 8-9, but has subsided greatly since beginning the prednisone. By mid day I feel much better, minor pain only. Hope this helps.
Replies to "First of all, I weigh only 102 lbs. so that may be part of the reason..."
I started on 20, which did nothing. After 4 days, my rheumy upped it to 30, which still took 3 more days to suppress the pain completely. At that point my SED was 75. I remained on 30 for 4 weeks, then dropped to 10 over the course of 2 months, all pain-free. At that point, my SED was almost normal, my rheumy declared my PMR to be in remission and was no longer being treated with P. The task then was to safely taper, from 10 to 5 at 1 per month, then by 0.5 to zero, which I will achieve in a few days. Had my share of aches and pains during the long taper, but no PMR. All pain is not PMR. There are other conditions that can cause pain that were previously masked by your cortisol production.
You need to get the PMR into remission as measured by SED/CRP levels before starting to taper. Otherwise you are going to have a long and difficult experience. Best of luck. There is that too!!
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It sounds like you might need a higher dose if your pain isn't controlled in the early morning. I've been receiving treatment for GCA and PMR for about 8 months, and I haven't had any pain in all that time. I'm currently at 8 mg prednisone, and I also take Actemra for the GCA.
Prednisone doesn't cure the PMR, it only controls the inflammation. People with PMR need to take prednisone until the PMR burns itself out or they start taking another drug like Kevzara or Methotrexate to control the inflammation that causes pain. I would be concerned about tapering too much too soon and letting the inflammation start affecting you again.