Very interesting. That is almost the exact schedule that I successfully followed, but I was never tempted to increase the dose while tapering.
There will be pain while tapering, but remember that it is not necessarily PMR pain, and therefore should not be automatically treated with an increase in prednisone.
Starting at 10, my rheumy declared that my PMR was successfully suppressed based on SED and CRP and pain types and levels, and that my pains were not PMR. I then continued to taper at 1 per month to 5. During that period, I had intermittent random pains and cramps that were treated with Tylenol. Note that one should NOT take both prednisone and NSAIDS (e.g., ibuprofen or naproxen) unless your doc specifically asks you to. Combined, they can cause serious even fatal perforations of the digestive system.
Then, from 5 to 0, I tapered at 0.5 per month. Again, random minor non-PMR pains that probably represented issues like osteoarthritis that had been suppressed by my normal cortisol production which had not yet been completely restored. Below 3, my doc approved an occasional low-dose ibuprofen with prilosec if needed.
Now I have been off prednisone for just over two months. At the age of 82, no pains worth mentioning, and no pain meds. Apparently a successful course of treatment over 18 months.
One plan does not usually work for everyone, but it helps to understand the safe options and the biological processes in play in order to respond successfully. Best of luck to you.