How Long Does It Take To Wean Down Off Prednisone

How long does it take to wean down off prednisone , What might be the alternative drugs for polymialga ? It seems that every step down off the med is a start of an on set of pain.Then at 10 days it seems like theres hope . Then when I reduce, again the same thing. Is this typical? Can this disease be managed with out these high risk meds . It makes the pain med seem a lot safer.