Prescription abbreviations
What BBF means
on a prescription.
BBF on a prescription means before breakfast. It isn’t Latin; it’s an abbreviation used on Indian prescriptions. India’s health ministry uses it in its guidance on insulin, alongside BL for before lunch and BDN for before dinner.
BBF
before breakfast
How long before breakfast?
BBF doesn’t say. Some medicines need an empty stomach and others just need to come before the meal; the prescription, the label or the pharmacist will say which.
Setting it up in AlongWell
Choose the morning and Before food when you add the medicine. AlongWell sets the reminder half an hour before your breakfast time (9:00 am until you change it).
Questions
What does BBF mean on a prescription?
Before breakfast. It is used on Indian prescriptions.
What do BL and BDN mean?
Before lunch and before dinner. India’s health ministry uses them with BBF in its guidance on insulin.
Sources
- Shetty Y and others, Indian Journal of Medical Research, 2024, read 28 October 2026
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India: guidance on insulin therapy (as reproduced by Roche Diabetes Care India), read 28 October 2026
This page explains what an abbreviation means. It doesn’t say how much to take or when: follow what the doctor wrote, and ask your pharmacist if any part of a prescription is unclear.
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