Question

Could I have been misdiagnosed as I now test HIV negative?

15 April 2024. Related: All topics, HIV testing.

Please I was diagnosed of HIV positive 5 years ago and have been on drug since then. About a year later, I went for another test and i was HIV negative.

So I have been testing HIV negative since then and am still on drugs. I noticed the drug is weakening my body system after a year I started taking it, it really affected my body that I couldn’t walk very well again. So I stopped taking the drug since last year January (2023) til now (April 2024) and am still testing negative.

Please does it means testing positive is wrong right from the start?

Answer

Answer: Simon Collins

Hi there

Thanks – sometimes we hear of similar experiences.

When you were first diagnosed, do you know if you had a second HIV test sent to a laboratory to confirm the positive result?

If this wasn’t done, the first test might have been a false positive result. The doctor should not have treated you without the second test, but sometimes this is done.

If this was the case, then a regular 3rd generation HIV antigen test or 4th generation Antigen/Antibody test will test negative now. This could be why you now test HIV negative.

If you were actually HIV positive when first diagnosed, these tests would be positive now.

Did you ever have a viral load test that was positive? If not, this could also mean the first HIV test was a false positive. If you ever had a detectable and high viral load test though something else might explain this.

A first false positive is a much more likely explanation than anything else. There isn’t a test you can do now though to find this out.

Please also talk to your doctor or clinic about this so they know you are okay now. Also so this doesn’t happen to anyone else..

This is just a possible  explanation though and a doctor should confirm this.