Paula
Hi I am in my 5th year of PMR. I have an excellent Rheumatologist..and I hate to tell you, but there is nothing else that will work with PMR except Pred. Your Dr. will help you to move down very slowly..if you go too fast, you will probably have a relapse and have to go back up again. I was on 60 mg for a month, then 50 for a month, then moved down to 20 mg fairly fast. Ater that it was slower going but I am now down to 2 1/2 mg daily and in only mild to once in awhile moderate discomfort. I am trying to go slowly down to 2 mg per day..these very small doses don't have a lot of harmful effects and I will stay on it for as long as I need to. just be sure to take extra calcium and possibly a bone-builder such as fosamax or Didronel to protect your bones from bone loss while you are on Pred. Good luck..some people are fine in a year or so..this is a self-limiting problem and when it gets ready to leave your body it will go..there is no "cure"..it seems eventually to cure itself. Best of luck to you