This is entirely anecdotal, but I was recently prescribed 50,000 IU/wk by my doctor after blood tests. Even if I had paid for the doctor, blood tests, and pres

This is entirely anecdotal, but I was recently prescribed 50,000 IU/wk by my doctor after blood tests. Even if I had paid for the doctor, blood tests, and prescription entirely out-of-pocket, it would've been cheaper than self-medicating at a dose like that. Most of it was out-of-pocket for me anyway because I hadn't met my deductible, and the whole ordeal set me back less than $100. If I didn't have in-network pricing, it still would've been less than the cost of one month of health insurance. Obviously, there are plenty of regions and situations in which things don't work out that way. Asking someone to self-medicate with Vitamin D still has the potential to be expensive, and there may be better uses for that money, especially for someone in that sort of financial position.