Hi @ozblossom, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @amandajro and others. In my two experiences with PMR flares, prednisone provided relief from the pain symptoms but the key for me was tapering slow. The first occurrence of PMR took me 3 and half years to taper off and the second time which was following a 6 year remission took 1 and half years to taper off.

Here's an article that may help you and others that may be looking for alternative treatments for PMR.

— What non-pharmacological treatments do people with polymyalgia rheumatica try: results from the PMR Cohort Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8800888/

One of the best tips I had from my rheumatologist was to keep a daily log of my prednisone dosage and pain level. If when it was time to taper down to a lower level and my pain came back, I would go back to the previous level or half amount I tapered down for a few days to see if that would get rid of the pain. He basically told me to listen to my body when tapering.

Do you keep a daily log for pain levels and dosage?