Hi @sandiw77, Welcome to Connect. There are different conditions that can mimic PMR with similar symptoms and it can sometimes be difficult to diagnose. From my experience with 2 occurrences of PMR, after taking the first dose of prednisone in the morning, I was pain free within a few hours. I was usually good until the morning then would be a little stiff with a few aches until I started moving around and took the next dose of prednisone. I kept a daily pain log with the amount of prednisone I took that morning. When I started tapering, I wouldn't taper if my pain scale was above a 2 or 3. In those cases I sometimes upped my dosage by 1/2 of the previous taper to try and keep my taper going.

My second time around I started eating better and exercising a little more which I think helped me taper off sooner that the first time with PMR. Here's some information that might be helpful:
-- Can Diet Affect Symptoms of Polymyalgia Rheumatica?:
https://www.healthline.com/health/polymyalgia-rheumatica-diet
Are you about to discuss neck and upper back pain & spasms with your doctor or rheumatologist to see if they may have some thoughts on if it's related to PMR or not?