Each individual is different, and at different stages of physical and physiological response. at 78 I'm experiencing my 3rd round of PMR, the 1st time without Prednisone, and took nutracueticals with support from my naturopath. lasted around 2 yrs. the 2nd time, 10 years later; this time I had to go on Prednisone due to potential GCA - about 2 years until weaned off. 3rd time, again 10 years later, went onto prednisone immediately, with excellent results and no side affects, its now about 15 months and I have been weaning off very conservatively. and at 5 mg I decreased 1 mg per month, then at 3 mg decreased by 1/2 mg per month. You've probably read this many times from this amazing group, but your body really will let you know what it needs. Sometimes "timetables" don't match our health journey; sometimes you may find that you need to stay on a certain dosage for longer until you start to decrease again. Or, in some cases, you find the sweet spot at say 2 or 3 mg and stay on that indefinitely. My challenge was not getting caught up in other peoples "shoulds" - Quality of Life is the goal for many of us.... May I ask if you are getting some support counselling around this? Please know you are not alone in this...this is an amazing group of compassionate people who are experiencing this condition. Keep reaching out.