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.
Different types of antibody tests may be used for HIV screening: 1  All HIV tests used in the U.S. detect HIV-1, and some tests have been developed that can also detect HIV-2. 2  Combination tests have been developed that detect HIV antibody and the HIV antigen called the p24 antigen. Verify a positive with a second HIV antibody test that differentiates between HIV-1 and HIV-2. 2  If results between the first and second test do not agree, then the next test to perform is a HIV-1 RNA test (nucleic acid amplification test, NAAT).