An incredible number of people say 7 mg is where their pain returns. I wonder what is so special about 7 mg? My pain would resurface at 7 mg and eventually always had a flare and increased my Prednisone dose.

"Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) can mimic symptoms of adrenal insufficiency, particularly glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency, which is a common side effect of PMR treatment. Adrenal insufficiency, in turn, can cause muscle aches and pains, mimicking PMR symptoms, making it difficult to distinguish between the two."

I'm not sure how the two conditions can be distinguished because the symptoms overlap. I came to the conclusion it was the combination of both PMR and adrenal insufficiency that only allowed me to taper to 7 mg where I inevitably increased my Prednisone dose.

Some people say Prednisone "mops up" inflammation. However if Prednisone needs to mop up inflammation every day it suggests excess inflammation is happening.

I believe it is cortisol that "regulates" inflammation. Prednisone replaces cortisol and stops the inflammation when we take enough prednisone. When we reach 7 mg of Prednisone we lack the cortisol to regulate inflammation because our adrenal function is suppressed. If we persist and taper lower than 7 mg the pain only gets worse and we tend to "flare."

it is very difficult to push through the pain when we reach 7 mg of Prednisone. More methotrexate might help but 7 mg of Prednisone will still suppress your adrenal function. How suppressed your adrenals are depends on how long you have taken Prednisone.