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.
A series of blood screenings are performed to test for HIV. The enzyme-linked immuno assay (ELISA or EIA) is the first test that your doctor will order to screen for HIV. ELISA and the Western blot test detect HIV antibodies in your blood.Antibodies are proteins your immune system produces in response to the presence of foreign substances such as viruses.If you test positive for HIV on the ELISA test, your provider will order the Western blot test to confirm HIV infection.f you test positive on the ELISA screen, your doctor will order a Western blot test. If you test positive for HIV with the Western blot test, you probably have HIV. Sometimes, HIV does not show up on the ELISA test even though you are infected.