@mimi1204, The first time my PMR was diagnosed I was started on 20 mg prednisone which provided relief from the pain within an hour or so of my morning dose. It took me 3 and half years to taper off of prednisone with the last six months going back and forth between 1 mg and 1/2 mg (split 1 mg tablets) until I was finally able to stop taking prednisone and only had an acceptable amount of morning pain/discomfort (less than 2 on my personal scale of 0 to 10) which went away after being up and moving around for a bit.

I stayed in remission for about six years and then the PMR came back and again I was started on 20 mg prednisone. This time I had a better handle on managing symptoms, eating healthier with less inflammatory foods and sugar. I was able to taper off of prednisone in about 1 and a half years. So far my PMR has been in remission and it's been almost 7 years.

You might find the following discussion helpful for tips/suggestions from other members on managing the symptoms:
-- PMR Dosages and Managing Symptoms:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pmr-dosages/