Many people with chronic pain do well with certain types of antidepressant medications. That being said, not all chronic pain can be treated in this way. There are also a few different types of antidepressants that work so it may be helpful if your mother asked if there could be another one to try.
In many cases, people do take both medications to relieve pain and antidepressants, but what a person can take and in what combinations can only be determined by their doctor. Depending on what is causing the chronic pain and the person’s overall health, certain medications may not be appropriate. The best thing is to talk with your mother’s doctor and see what options she has.