A process for treating a patient by medicinal therapy by a film-shaped therapeutic system. The process comprises the steps of applying a film-shaped therapeutic system comprising at least three layers connected with each other onto the oral mucosa of a patient in need of medicinal therapy for a period of up to 24 hours and releasing the active substance with an initial burst dose and a subsequent maintenance dose. The film-shaped therapeutic system comprises at least three layers connected with each other for transmucosal administration of active substances. The system has a layer which is mucoadhesive in an aqueous environment and a backing layer which is at least two-layered. At least one of these layers contains an active substance. The mucoadhesive layer is capable of swelling in an aqueous media, but is insoluble or only poorly soluble in an aqueous media.
