Welcome @kvd9, I'm sorry to hear you are experiencing a relapse with PMR. I'm currently in remission for the second time and hopefully it will stay that way. I had a tough time with prednisone the first time also. It took me 3 and half years to taper off. The second time, six years later it only took me a year and half to taper off. Both times I started with 20 MG.

@tsc shared a good update article recently in another discussion here - GCA and PMR - Some Study Updates: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/gca-and-pmr-some-study-updates/

There is also another article you might find helpful - Polymyalgia rheumatica: An updated review - Cleveland Clinic: https://www.ccjm.org/content/87/9/549

Have you tried making any lifestyle or diet related changes to see if that might help?

Thank you so much @johnbishop for replying! I will study these articles tomorrow as it is late here now. My diet has always been mostly vegan, with an active lifestyle. One of the difficulties with Prednisone for me is that I have osteoporosis as well, so more thinning of the bones is not good for me. So I am afraid to go back on it. Which is why I am looking for an alternative.

I've been on Prednisone for 2 1/2 years and have tried to wean off several times. I started with 60 mg. a day and have weaned down to 10 successfully, but when I get to 5 my PMR comes back. I've had to have a shoulder replacement because I developed Avascular Necrosis from taking so much Prednisone so it is important that I get off of it, but these last 5 have been very painful and I'm looking for something else to control the pain in my neck, back and shoulders. The last two weeks I have itching and scaly scalp and ears which I have had in the past but the Prednisone helped to diminish it. I'm going to make an appointment today with my Rheumatologist today and see if he has any other suggestions, but it will probably be 2 weeks to get in to see him. Any advise to help with the pain.

No I went to 7 1/2 for three weeks than 6 1/2 for three more and I've been on 5 for two weeks.

I am wondering if anyone has any success with system in multi-enzyme treatment ? Suppose to be an old treatment used in Germany for pain.

I was taking prednisone for five years and my CRP was high,so along with methotrexate my rheumatologist added Rabeprazole 20 mg, this is for RA usually but it has helped me far better than prednisone.
Hope this helps.

LDN ( low dose naltrexone) I have 4.5 mg compounded for me & I take 1 a day
I am in remission almost 3 years after 5 years of PMR & prednisone.
Do some homework on this .
It’s a game changer for some of us .

Good thread. I haven’t posted in 6 mo or so. Still slaying the dragon called PMR, down to 4.5 mg. I’m
Tapering at .5 mg / month or 5 weeks and even then I’m doing a modification which entails taking 4 at 9 am then the .5 no later than 1 pm. I do this for a week before dropping to the next level. I’m due to drop to 4 any day now but taking it slower as I’m having some muscular issues. As far as sleep help I use an herbal tea with Passion flower ( no valerian) about 2 hours before bed, try to cut off any screen time, and I do have Passion flower tincture from my local herbalist. I go to sleep by DO NOT stay asleep thru the night. I accept this reality and just try to do deep breathing and rest. I’m just about two years into this journey. I too want off the steroid but know too swift a curtailment can be risky. I got GCA on my first bold tapering.. take care all.

I just started trying Methyprednisolone (day 2) to see if works better than Prednisone for me. Still a steroid though. My Rheumatologist is going to talk to me about adding Methotrexate - I don't know alot about that yet.

If you're trying to work through PMR pain, the inflammation will just continue to build up and you may have a flare. When you have a flare, general advice is to increase by 5 mg. until pain is controlled and then go back to the last place you felt good. If you were good at 6.5 that would be the place. Your body dictates tapering, not your blood work or a set schedule. We all want to reduce as much as we can, but if you go too low or too fast, you'll have a setback. You shouldn't be in pain.