Soonest time after vaccine dose to test for Hep B?

What do my lab results mean?
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My doctor ordered a Hep B test, but unfortunately it seems either due to the lab or her misordering that only anti HBs was ordered. It came back at < 3.1, which means no immunity. I was vaccinated in 2004/2005, but might have screwed up the dosing schedule since I was travelling at the time. Regardless, my levels seemed low, so I made the decision to get a Hep B booster shot.

Now of course my doctor wants to do the test again, just in case I actually had Hep B (in which case I wouldn’t have anti-bodies either). My question is what is the minimum time I should wait before doing the test so I don’t have a false positive? Reading some papers, it seems like 18 days was sort of the limit for normal people, while most went HbsAg negative within a week. Does 18 days seem reasonable (I don’t want to wait too long as the doctor is waiting on other tests as well) to wait?

Thanks.

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Hi @Stargazer6138,
According to the Hepatitis B Foundation’s guidance on this, it says 1-2 months after the booster shot. I think other hospitals recommend the same time frame. I will let the doctor know and get the test done in about a month’s time to make sure the results are reflective or accurate. Best, Bansah1

Check it out as well: I received my vaccine years ago--am I still protected? » Hepatitis B Foundation

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