She was pregnant and addicted to fentanyl. Getting to keep her baby saved them both

A baby is born in withdrawal every 18 minutes in the US, and most end up in foster care. At centers like Maddie’s Place, mothers stay with their infants – and leave together, in recovery

‘The pressure to get your old body back is immense’: the new mothers driven to weight-loss jabs

The NHS warns against using GLP-1s while breastfeeding – for the baby’s sake as well as the mother’s. But how much does that count when they’re so readily available and there’s so much pressure to ‘bounce back’?

‘I needed to be locked up’: how Kavana went from 90s pop stardom to smoking crack in a skip – and bounced back

He was a teen singer with his dream career. But then his life fell apart. Anthony Kavanagh talks about sex work, addiction and the years he spent being forced to hide his sexuality

‘I feel like a drug dealer’: the parents using black-market melatonin to help their children sleep

Desperate dads meet in car parks to exchange packets; exhausted parents slip it into their kids’ drinks; families waiting months for prescriptions buy it ‘off label’. But is it worth the risk?

‘I lost so much weight, my husband thought I was terminally ill’: why do people lie about taking Ozempic?

The dramatic results of weight-loss drugs often come with a side order of stigma, as though it’s ‘cheating’ not to stick to willpower, diet and exercise alone. Is that why so many are telling no one – not even their partners?

The end of WeightWatchers? How the dieting club lost out to slimming drugs

As the global enterprise grapples with reported debts of $1.4bn, its calorie-counting formula may have had its day

Hay fever making your life a misery? Try these 20 tips from doctors and allergy experts

Do nasal sprays work? Which are the best antihistamines? Can honey help? What about a shower? We’ve got all the answers

Ozempic is hailed as a miracle drug. But how does it affect people with eating disorders?

Doctors worry about GLP-1s being used by people with restrictive eating disorders – but research also shows they could help others struggling with binge eating

‘It’s back to drug rationing’: the end of HIV was in sight. Then came the cuts

The abrupt halt to US funding threatens to undo decades of advances, dramatically increasing infections and deaths, but some see an opportunity for Africa to lead the response

‘It’s not ethical and it’s not medical’: how UK rehab clinics are cashing in on NAD+

They are beloved by A-listers and surging in popularity. But claims that NAD+ infusions are a fix for addiction are unproven, risky – and possibly illegal, an Observer investigation reveals

Psychedelic Outlaws by Joanna Kempner review – a compelling case for the use of magic mushrooms in pain relief

The US sociologist’s study of psychoactive fungi to treat little-known medical conditions such as cluster headaches is well researched and wide ranging

I thought I was fine with being bald. But the chance of a cure has stirred up all sorts of feelings

It’s almost 30 years since I lost my hair to alopecia. What if Pfizer’s drug Litfulo could bring it back? asks Guardian columnist Emma Beddington

UK universities urged to end drugs zero tolerance and focus on harm reduction

Report proposing new approach welcomed by mother of Jeni Larmour, who died after taking alcohol and ketamine

Pills or patches, sprays or gels … everything you need to know about HRT

Is hormone replacement therapy right for you and, if it is, what type should you take? All your key questions answered

‘It feels like we’ve been lobotomised’: the possible sexual consequences of SSRIs

Long-term sexual dysfunction is a side-effect for some patients who take these widely prescribed antidepressants, and can leave sufferers devastated