A. It's important to dispose of unused medication. To find out how, contact your state health agency or follow U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for drug disposal.
The HIV test is designed to detect antibodies to HIV in your blood or saliva. Antibodies are proteins produced by your body when you have an infection and they help fight infection. If you are infected with HIV, your body makes very specific antibodies to fight the infection. The HIV antibodies are different from antibodies for the flu, hepatitis, or other infections.
Tests to tailor treatment. If you receive a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, several types of tests can help your doctor determine what stage of the disease you have. These tests include: 1  CD4 count. 2  CD4 cells are a type of white blood cell that's specifically targeted and destroyed by HIV. 3  Even if you have no symptoms, HIV infection progresses to AIDS when your CD4 count dips below 200. 4  Viral load.