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decadron

Hi, i was wondering how long does a 4mg IM decaradon shot last in your body for? i was exposed to hiv in december and in january i was feeling sick so 4 weeks after hiv exposure my doc gave me a 4mg IM shot of decadron and one week later, 5 weeks, after exposure he gave me another 4mg shot of decadron? i was wondering would those two doses of decadron suppress my immune system and suppress hiv antibody production. i had a three month test that was negative but i was wondering would the decadron cause a false negative result. are my results accurate. does decadron suppress my immune system with those doses i received. how long does it stay in the body for?
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639831 tn?1223063080
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Your ELISA test should be accurate, but you can get another at 6 months to be sure. It takes 4-6 weeks for mono antibodies to incubate and develop, so you could be infected, but still test negative since it won't show on a test until 4-6 weeks after exposure.
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Avatar universal
I am sorry but i didnt understand you last response. the elisa is rarely negative and usually if done right ater and injection....
1. what exactly does that mean.
2. will two doses of 4mg each a week apart cause immunosupression and stop the production of hiv antibodies.
3. my last elisa test was seven weeks after my last decadron shot. should my results be accurate.
4. i had been diagonse with mono but my monospot was negative for those antibodies. the way we found out is because my recent infection antibodies were positive- could the monospot be negative because of the decadron suppression

can you please answer these three questions.
Helpful - 0
639831 tn?1223063080
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
The duration of action of Decadron injection is up to 3 weeks. If your test was taken 3 months after the last injection, then the result should be accurate. The ELISA test rarely gives a false negative, and usually if done right after getting an injection of an immunosuppressant such as Decadron.

HIV antibodies develop 3-6 months after exposure, though usually within the first month.
If you're still uneasy, get another test in 3 months.
Helpful - 0

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