Well, no $hit! This drug has been prescribed literally hundreds of millions of times over the past 65 years, since about 1955. If there was some big problem with it for short term use (like malaria - for which it was developed - or for other viruses like the China virus), then we would have known about it no later than 1960 and the drug would have been either taken off of the market, or limited to some very special circumstances where nothing else would work.
HCQ can cause some heart problems - such as an arrhythmia - after prolonged use. Here’s some anecdotal evidence that this is not all that common: My mother (now over 80) has had an arrhythmia for over 20 years. She also has RA. Her RA doctor put her on HCQ, but consulted with the cardiologist first. The cardiologist said that it likely won’t be a problem, but that “we’ll have to watch that closely.” That was 5 years ago - and the HCQ has done exactly NOTHING to my mother’s heart. Ditto for her eyes - it can affect the retinas after prolonged use, but she’s been checked for it every 3 months, and again the HCQ has had no negative effects on her.
RE: My mother (now over 80) has had an arrhythmia for over 20 years. She also has RA. Her RA doctor put her on HCQ, but consulted with the cardiologist first.
Makes me wonder if the fact of her using HCQ also PROTECTED her from contracting Covid-19.... I certainly hope so.