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.